Witness
by EchoofSouls
Summary: Wrath and bitterness. Vengeance and grief. The Prothean on the Normandy is consumed with it. Although you barely spoke with each other he seems to take nearly every chance to crush you down. But you refuse to give up for you suffered already enough in your life to let someone like Javik insult you...
1. Chapter 1

"How many others?"

"Just you."

The glimpse of a creature in red armor flickered through your dream. It was on its knees, its back facing a person standing behind it. The silhouette reminded you slightly of a Collector in some ways but that could not be creature seemed to be filled with sorrow and anger at the same time. While you didn´t know this 'thing', the voice of the person standing was very familiar to you. Where have you heard it before? It was on the tip of your tongue...

A sudden cut disconnected you from the scene that was shown to you. A bright light appeared in the darkness in front of you. White shapes formed around you and you began to know where your dream was taking laid in a small white room on a bed, hands fixed to it, a woman in white clothing came through a door to your tried to free from the bonds that held you. A chuckle distracted you and made you look at the woman.

"You know it doesn´t work, dear subject", she said with faked pity.  
Panic came over you as you saw her installing a device, long needles being connected to it.

"Not again, please!", you screamed in your head and began to pull on your textile chains with all your might.

You heard as she took a needle and turned to you, a cruel grin playing around her you could focus on now was the orange sign on her clothes. Deep hatred enflamed in your chest and you began to press your full body weight against the ropes, your muscles needle was now only a heartbeat away, lingering over the skin of your forearm. As she pricked you roughly with the needle, a yelp left your throat.

Soaked with sweat you rose from your bed, panting heavily. Your heart was beating faster than it had in years and adrenaline ruled your body. Your biotics had come to life during the dream, letting several objects float through your small cabin. Immediately you stopped them and moved them back to their places before cutting of the connection to your biotic powers. You stood up and put on your flip-flops, walking outside of your hut.

It was warm as always but not sticky. The stars shined down on you as did three bright moons while you wandered along the beach. The constant sound of the waves coming from the ocean and the noises of the jungle put your mind at sat down in the sand and looked up at the night sky. Your thoughts brought up the first scene of the dream. You focused on the voices you had heard. The alien´s voice was unknown to you, with a strange vibration in it, but now you remembered the voice of the other one. It belonged to Shepard, the great hero who saved the Citadel and then died tragically, only to come back to life with the help of Cerberus two years later, stopping the Collectors. As he came to you, asking for help, his intentions were honorable. You were suspicious at first and didn´t trust him. After all he was with Cerberus these days.

"Arseholes...", you grumbled as you thought of this organization.

In the end though you joined Shepard, your doubts fading with each action and decision he made. But it was half a year ago the last time you saw him. You were here while he was on Earth. You stood up and cleaned your shorts with your hands, then headed back to the cabin. After entering it, your steps lead you to a chest standing in a corner. You opened it slowly, your armor and weapons laying inside it. Thinking back to the time you fought the Collectors made you feel alive once more. You closed it again, then walked to a small window without glass, focusing on the stars you saw. You remembered what you last said before they dropped you of on this lonely planet.

"Come for me as soon as the Reapers arrive. Don´t want to miss a whole damn war going on without me."

Earth was never your home, so you didn´t want to go with him as he was ordered back. Now you were waiting here until the final day was coming.

"I hope you remember these words, Shepard", you whispered.

The thought of fighting again filled you only a bit with fear but mostly with energy and eagerness. You held up a hand and let your biotics arise for a moment, feeling its power while bathing the room in a soft green light.

* * *

What Shepard found on Eden Prime was far more than he expected. He thought of another beacon or some advanced weapon...but a living Prothean? No, he wasn´t expecting THAT.

After they returned from Eden Prime, some of his crew members were observing him because of the possible threat he could be as a 'new discovered species'. He calmed them down and ensured their guest would be no trouble. Now he was standing with Liara in the Protheans´ new room , listening to her asking some questions. Their new crew member, who called himself Javik, wasn´t quite enthusiastic when answering these question, which referred most likely to his species being completely extinguished except for him. He told them a few things of their empire and how they tried to preserve organic life by integrating it into it. To Shepard it appeared that they were extremely transfigured by comparing how they were seen nowadays and they really were. And then he told them of his ability to read things by touching them, no matter what it was. It would have been a strange skill to Shepard if he didn´t know someone possessing similar powers.

His four eyes lit up for a moment as he commented: "These abilities were unique among my people, giving us advantage over all other species in our cycle."

Shepard smiled for a second. He wasn´t going to reveal the person they were picking up next had something in common with Javik. He promised her to keep this secret once he found out about it on her loyalty mission, so he would not spread it around like gossip.

"Commander, may I ask you were we are heading next?"

"We are on the way to a good friend of mine. I promised her that when the Reapers arrive she´d be able to join the crew once again", Shepard responded.

"Then I hope this 'friend' will not be a waste of time we could have used for fighting the Reapers."

* * *

AN: I used this chapter as a introduction to the story and your character. The coming chapters will be longer and hopefully with more action to entertain you.

Also I excuse for my English because it is only my second language ( you can inform me about grave mistakes if you like to).


	2. Chapter 2

You sat in the shade of a palm tree, enjoying the cool air of a breeze while meditating. It was almost midday and your stomach started already complaining because of no food, so you decided to get up and prepare a meal.

"Maybe something with fruits..." you spoke to yourself, returning to your little 'beach house'.

Right as you were about to walk in, you heard something. You stopped immediately and concentrated on the noise. It sounded like an engine...of a shuttle?You tried to figure out of which direction it came as the sound of it got louder and louder. Finally a blue shuttle with the sign of the Alliance on its side flew right over your cabin. It came to a stop further down the beach and landed gently on the white sand.

"Well, well, well...", you thought for yourself with a smile. "Who might that just be?"

The door of the shuttle opened up and out of it came no other person than the famous Commander Shepard in full N7-armor. You waved to him and he waved back whilst walking up to you. Then you realized his squad mates coming out of the shuttle as well. The first was no other than Liara T´Soni. You had only met her once in her office on Illium. She was an expert of Prothean civilization and everything related to it as far as you knew. To you she seemed quite nice, smiling at you. The second one though was not appearing at all, so you focused on Shepard again who reached you at this time.

"Commander", you bowed slightly, your hands behind your back.

"(Name), I see you made yourself a comfortable home here."

"Nothing special, but I suppose you haven´t come to me for a little chat", you paused and looked him straight in the eye. "The time has come, hasn´t it?"

He simply nodded:" The Reapers attacked Earth . I try now to find every help I can get to save it and destroy them."

"Sounds to me like a task that fits to your skills completely", you laughed." Well, you can count on me. I gather my things then we can go back to the Normandy."

You turned around and went inside the hut, heading to your wooden chest. This time you didn´t just look at your armor and weapons, but put them on. It was a tight black suit with thin armor plates. It covered your whole body except for your neck and head, but it was still agile enough for almost acrobatic moves. And it had to be. Your arsenal consisted of an assault rifle, a katana and a special chain made of extreme sharp blades, with handles on each took them out of the chest and attached them to your armor; katana and rifle on your back and the chain, in a small pouch, to your hip. You looked at your helmet still laying in the chest. It was a shame that it was broken but you kept it because of the many things you remembered when looking at it...or touching it. You heard something fall to the floor and a sudden high pitched tone startled you. As you turned around you needed less than a second to recall to what it belonged.

"Oh shit...", you realized. Within a heartbeat you stormed out of the cabin, nearly tripping over your own feet.

"Grenade!", you shouted as you came out and ran towards Shepard and Liara. You took them by the hand and pulled them with you.

"But (Name),-", he began.

With a great explosion your hut burst into flames and the blast wave brought you to a uncomfortable landing on the ground.

"What the hell!?", Shepard said breathless. "(Name), what the fuck did you keep inside your hut?".

"Ammunition!", you replied and stood up. " What did you think? That I would live here without any kind of protection!?"

Slightly annoyed you looked at your burning house, being more a ruin than a house to be honest.

"That was unexpected...", Liara stated as she got up and walked up beside you and the Commander. "But I am more interested in the person who did this."

"The Asari is right. We should find the one who tried to kill you and kill him instead."

You stiffened for a moment. That voice...

You turned around to see the alien from your dream a few days ago. Four eyes, pale blue-grey skin and a layered black carapace covering its elongated head.

"Who is he?", you asked, your thoughts swirling because of confusion. What was this all about?

"Ah, right, you don´t know each other yet. (Name), this is Javik. Javik, this is (Name)", Shepard introduced you with a gesture of his hand. "He is a Prothean I discovered on Eden Prime in a stasis pod."

"Nice to meet you", you bowed slightly as you did with Shepard. He nodded, his eyes narrowing only a bit for the blink of an eye.

"Very well", you turned to the Commander to avoid impolite staring. " If you don´t mind I would like to go and find the bastards who blew my cabin up. You coming with me?"

"Certainly. I´d like to know how someone could find you here. No one knew you were on this planet."

"THERE THEY ARE!"a muffled male voice shouted from behind them.

Your head spun around, your eyes spotting several soldiers in white armor, coming up to your position.

"Into the woods!", Shepard demanded. His voice changed from friendly into authoritarian.

Several gunshots were fired at you as you ran to take cover behind a tree. You took your assault rifle and pressed against your shelter. Thank god you had the gun loaded in your chest. A quick look over the new battlefield revealed about fifteen enemies with heavy armor. With quick shots you took out one and then two other opponents. Bullets were flying through the air and hitting into the wood of some nearby tree trunks. You saw a trooper hiding behind a rock and were about to run from tree to tree to slay him with your katana. But suddenly he was lifted by green biotics and then smashed down to the ground. Your eyes were widened in disbelief for a moment and you searched for the source of the power. You saw as Javik glowed the same green like the biotics.

"(Name), look out!", Liara shouted from her position behind a huge tree to your left.

You turned around to see what she was trying to warn you about. Unprepared, you were hit by a shield and fell on your back, your rifle falling out of your hands. You gathered your senses and looked up to the soldier who hit you. He aimed his pistol at you while holding up a shield, with the sign of Cerberus.

A sudden stasis, thanks to Liara, captured him, freezing him in the moment he wanted to pull the trigger. You didn´t waste the time that was given and took out your chain as you stood up. With a quick fluent move you put it around his throat, crossed the endings behind the neck and pulled at them. The blades cut through his armor and his flesh, executing him in less than three seconds. Streams of blood came out where his head once was while he was falling to the soil.

Your mind was clear now and your senses sharpened by the adrenaline rushing through you. You felt what was going on and who was where. It was always like you could 'read' what was going on in your near surroundings and experience the strongest emotions of the persons around you. To your displeasure however, it became quickly very blurry and lasted only about ten seconds before you needed to cut the connection to this exhausting power.

But you saw it all...

Three soldiers up a hill, being afraid of running out of ammunition and a combat engineer being undecided where to place his turret. On the other side Shepard, calm and precise with every shot, and Liara, switching between her biotics and her heavy pistol, being concentrated with each strike. And then there was Javik, cool and determined, but also filled with revengefulness.

Someone approached you from behind, someone with the eagerness to kill you...another guardian.

With high speed you let go of your chain and drew your katana, swirled around the tree and pierced his head through the small hole in his shield.

"No Cerberus slave will take me back to their damn research laboratories...", you growled in your thoughts.

In the meantime Shepard and his squad mates took the remaining enemies down. You picked your chain up and put it in the pouch, the katana you positioned to its rightful place on your back, then you walked up to your companions.

"We should leave before reinforcement arrives. It seems Cerberus still wants you back, (Name)", Shepard stated with a not so amused facial expression.

"I thought I got rid of them as we destroyed every trace of me and then brought me here, but the opposite occurred. At least they blew up my house so they will find no useful information. Well, there wasn´t any anyway...", you said while clenched your fists slightly.

Then you felt a chill running down your spine, and you noticed Javik as he watched you suspiciously. You looked at him and began to wonder what he was thinking about. Perhaps it meant something different in Prothean society. But what he said next proved your conjecture to be wrong.

"I hope this human will be as useful as you told me, Commander. It appeared she had difficulties in this battle."

Your mouth literally fell open at this statement. What the hell did he think who he was to judge your abilities?

"There weren´t any difficulties or anything like it. This is the way of battle. Sometimes it is easier and sometimes not. I bet you were in such situations as well", you countered with a trace petulance.

"That may be as you say, still it seems extraordinary to me that our enemies appeared shortly after we landed."

You were paralyzed for a second for you could not handle what he just said. He called you a traitor. HE called YOU a TRAITOR! Rage inflamed in your stomach. He said you betrayed Shepard to fucking Cerberus.

"Now listen, I don´t care what some Prothean ass says about me but I will certainly not let you mark me as a traitor only because you seem to have too much time to think of some foolish conspiracy theories!"

"It is only the truth," he folded his arms.

"I will give you some truth if you don´t shut up."

Shepard quickly intervened, because he knew how you felt about the topic 'Cerberus'.

"Now everybody calm down! (Name), Javik doesn´t know anything about your past with Cerberus. And you, Javik, (Name) is one of my most loyal friends I ever had. Calling her a traitor normally is regretted with bad bruises and broken bones."

You tried to swallow your rage because Shepard was right. How could you demand this Prothean, you saw the first time, to know your life?

"I think it is the best we all go to the shuttle now and try to be peaceful, understood? Then let´s go."

The Commander walked in the direction of the shuttle, not waiting for any responses. You shook your head. This was not how you had hoped your reunion with Shepard would end. You followed him, keeping your distance to your new Prothean crew member.

Still you had the unpleasant feeling that it would not be your last clash with him...


	3. Chapter 3

You walked around the Normandy to make yourself familiar with everything again because she underwent a redesign in some areas. The last time you were here, you stayed at the Research Lab together with Mordin.

Normally you detested all kinds of laboratories, but the Salarian somehow distracted you from your disgust so much, you nearly ignored it. Keeping you busy and even teaching you one or two little things, helped you facing all that. The problem now was, that the Lab, and more important, Mordin, were gone.

So now you needed to find a new place to stay during your free time between missions.

The Shuttle Bay was big and loud, so it was not available. With Javik on the Engineering deck it was no choice as well. The whole way back to the Normandy you could feel how he eyed you though he did not look at you directly. From that moment you hoped that Shepard would never take him and you together on a mission, still this was only a slight chance to happen...

In the end you decided to stay in the observation room. The view of the stars and the many books calmed you whenever you looked at them.

You sat down in front of the big window and marveled at the stars. When you were just a child, you never thought yourself to travel between worlds and meet other species, but were only dreaming of it.

You barely remembered your home or your parents. It was as if there was a veil that prevented you from remembering your past. All you could recall, began with the time you spent in the facility of Cerberus as a guinea pig. A sharp pain pierced your heart as you thought back to the day you could escape. It was one of your happiest moments, no question, but it resulted in even more pain in the end. Your eyes started to fill with tears so you closed them and took a few deep breaths. After all these years you were still not ready to face this part of your past.

For now you needed to concentrate on the present, as Shepard did. At this moment he had a meeting with a Salarian Dalatrass, the Turian Primarch and the Krogan leader Urdnot Wrex, because of forging alliances for the war.

With a soft sound the door to your room opened and someone stepped in. You didn´t turn around to see who entered, you simply waited.

The door closed and silence filled the room, minutes passing as nothing happened.

"I see that courtesy is missing in this cycle as well..."

'Fantastic...', it crossed your mind. 'I came here to avoid this relic...of course it would never be that easy to avoid him...'

You stood up slowly, with not the slightest hurry, and then turned around to see Javik standing in front of the door. His hands were behind his back and his four eyes focused on every move you made while his face was a mix of boredom and a trace of anger. The way he looked at you with his strange pupils made you shiver, but you would never give him the satisfaction to see that you were afraid of his behavior.

You walked up to him, looking defiant into his two bigger eyes:"And I believe your cycle did never learn to speak out what they want when they enter a room, instead pestering other people."

Javik's impression didn't change and he simply went on:" The Commander wishes you to take you on a mission."

"And you came to tell me that? So you became the Commander's runner?", you asked sarcastically with a matching grin on your face.

He leaned forward a bit, which was the moment you recognized he was at least two inches taller than you, then spoke:

"Immature behavior, as expected from a primitive species as yours. In my cycle you were nothing more than animals living in caves, being at the mercy of my kind. I advise you, human, as we did with your kind before: do not disregard how you are talking to a Prothean."

"And I advise you to watch yourself, because we are no longer the primitives you knew, and I will NOT let ANYONE threaten me."

You moved passed him and headed to the elevator, smashing its button in fury. How did he dare to speak with you?! You stepped inside the elevator and crossed your arms in anger. You didn´t do anything to make him act like this towards you. The door of the lift closed and it started to move down to the Shuttle Bay. You sighed in relief. The mission would allow you to let of the steam this damn Prothean caused inside you. You arrived at the Bay and walked to the shuttle where Cortez leant against 'his' shuttle.

"Ah (Name), you are the first to come. Shepard and Javik didn´t show up yet", he said when he spotted you.

You stopped immediately, your anger rising only at the name of this stuck-up idiot.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, he is. Why? Is there any problem between you and Javik, (Name)? I thought you two made peace after this little argument back then", Shepard asked from behind.

"We did, Commander. She overreacted a bit about a topic of no importance for this mission, that is all", Javik explained while you didn´t even had the chance to say what truly happened.

You spun around and glared at this so called Prothean as you talked to the Commander: " But Shepard, that-"

"Ah, rage is in the air. Would be interesting to see you two fight, but we have some females to save from these damn Salarians", a third voice took part in your conversation. It was deep and powerful, so it only could be the Krogan clan leader.

"Wrex, we have been waiting for you", Shepard turned to his Krogan friend. "Are you ready?"

"Of course! Besides, we shouldn´t waste any time and get the females out of there."

"Then let´s go. (Name) and Javik, go and get your weapons. And I will hear no more of this."

You nodded and went to take your weapons. Javik walked right beside you, whispering only one word:

"Pathetic...".

That was the limit! Now you were fed up with him. What was he thinking? Now you would no longer indulge. He wanted to be in conflict with you, so he would find out what that meant.

* * *

The Salarian home world was warm and tropical, like the planet you hid on. But you were not here to relax and enjoy the view while taking the females with you.

After a short conflict with the security, Wrex had to wait near the landing place. Shepard talked with him about Tuchanka and the Reaper forces on the planet, then encountered Major Kirrahe and had a little chat with him before walking to the Salarian who would lead you to the females.

As you were about to head down with the elevator to the laboratory, he showed you, an alarm started.

'That can´t be good', you thought as you walked inside the lift.

"I hope Wrex doesn´t do anything imprudent. Can´t afford another war...", Shepard said to himself.

The ride with the elevator was all silent and no one said a word. The doors then opened and you stepped into the room. There was a lot of activity and you could literally feel the hectic pace. On the other side of the room stood a group of Salarians, taking orders from a superior. He seemed to recognize you and walked up to you.

"Shepard! Excellent timing. Good to have you here."

"Mordin?"

"Eyesight still sharp. Surprise understandable. Hadn´t expected to return to work."

You couldn´t believe your eyes. To see the Salarian again was one of your biggest wishes after you split up as the Collectors were destroyed. You had to hold of yourself from embracing him right here.

"It is good to see you, Mordin", you said with a warm smile.

Mordin returned the smile:"(Name). Wouldn´t have expected you to be here. Will talk after this incident."

You nodded.

He told you that he was Wrex inside source and helped the females. He then started walking to take you to the females. He said that there was only one female left and she would need to go offworld if she was to survive. Because of Maelon`s cure their immune system was weakened.

He led you to the dead bodies of the Krogans.

"These didn´t survive. Couldn´t save them", he said with a sad undertone.

The Commander looked at him:" I´m sure you did everything you could, Mordin."

"Arrived too late. Cannot delay now. One survivor left. Immune to genophage. Can synthesize cure from her tissue."

He went on and then downstairs, heading to a few containers in front of a wall.

"Last hope for Krogan. If she dies, genophage cure...problematic."

You stopped in front of one, where a veiled Krogan female stood behind the shield of a container. Shepard stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Are you here to kill me?", she asked suspicious.

"That would serve no tactical purpose," Javik remarked, as it was the most normal thing in the world.

'Oh my goodness...',you thought, literally facepalming. 'That guy really needs a good beating...'

They had a brief conversation, but were interrupted by a loud alarm.

"What´s happening?", the Commander wanted to know from a Salarian scientist nearby.

"We have multiple ships inbound!"

Then Wrex contacted Shepard through his Omni-tool where he made clear that if he wanted this alliance, he had to get out the female.

"We should hurry, Shepard. Cerberus was never known to be generous in sparing alien lives", you indicated.

There were struggles as the Salarian scientist said he couldn´t release the female. To your amusement Mordin 'convinced' him with a little electric shock from his Omni-tool then took over the observation of the container during its way outside.

"Cerberus. Time to teach them another lesson", you spoke as you took your assault rifle from your back.

"Hopefully you will prove yourself useful this time, otherwise you were a unprofitable investment of the Commander´s time, just to get cannon fodder."

"Oh, I believe this time your jaw will hit the floor", you whispered so low he couldn´t hear you.

Shepard started moving:"To the elevator, we need to protect the female!"

You went the way back, red caution lights filled the whole room with their light. You stopped in front of the elevator.

"Something´s wrong with the elevator. It´s not responding", a Salarian explained to the Commander. "There-try it now, Commander."

Sheppard slowly approached the green hologram and pushed the button to open the door. It opened and revealed a bomb laying on its floor, immediately uttering a high pitched sound. But this time you weren´t caught off guard like the last time in your hut.

"Get back!", Shepard shouted.

He and Javik were jumping away from the elevator to the ground while you put up your hands in a holding manner and built a barrier with your green biotics around you and your squad, protecting you from any harm.

You held up the barrier until the smoke was gone, a touch of green light filling the room. Then you turned around to see the face of your 'beloved' Prothean. Javik seemed to be more than only a little confused. He met you with disbelief and you grinned back at him.

"Good job, (Name)", Shepard stated then asked another Salarian for a second exit.

You looked back at Javik. The surprise was gone and replaced by rage you saw only a few times in your life before.

Now it was getting interesting...


	4. Chapter 4

The ride back to the Normandy was silent. After you used your biotics, Javik watched you closely. You could literally feel his gaze burning into your back the rest of the mission. Even yet he observed you from the shadow at the other side of the shuttle.

This time, you had to admit to yourself that even you felt uncomfortable now; like prey standing in front of its predator. You looked around to hide your unpleasant feeling, and to focus your mind on something different than this nerve-wracking Prothean.

Shepard, Wrex and the female Krogan were in the middle of a conversation, but Mordin was standing a bit away from them. He seemed to be deep in thought, so you wouldn´t want to disturb him. You were happy that he was here now, if only for the time he would need to create a cure for the genophage. You owed him a lot, though he would not agree and only say:"Someone else would have gotten it wrong."

A smile played around your lips as you thought of that quotation of his. Somehow this appeared to draw the Salarian´s attention to you.

"(Name)", Mordin started. "No funny activities in shuttle. Why smiling?"

"Hm? Oh, it is something only I would understand, nothing important."

You stepped closer so only the two of you could hear what you were saying next.

"Could I talk to you once we arrive at the Normandy. It is about this relic in the corner there", you moved your head slightly in the direction of Javik.

Mordin tilted his head: " Any problems with new crewmate?"

"Something like that. He acts like he is superior in every way and is pestering me whenever he can. But that is only one of my problems, I will tell you more in the medical bay."

Mordin moved his hand up to his chin in a thinking gesture. It was typical for him to do that when he was confronted with a problem.

"May have solution. Would prefer you to stay here. Prothean reaction unknown. Could give you some peace while you with me...if theory works."

With that he passed you and headed straight to your beloved friend. You didn´t know what Mordin would do to scare him of, but you trusted him that he wouldn´t do any foolish things.

"Prothean population extinct. Took many secrets with them. Dissecting you could answer some."

'What the hell!? He did not really!? ...did he?', your mind tried to handle this piece of information.

"I agree. But only if you can defeat me in combat first", Javik replied with a serious expression.

You looked at him with narrowed eyes: ' If it would silence you, I would gladly do that for him.'

At once Javik´s head turned into your direction. He was gritting his teeth in disgust, just as if he had heard what you thought. Then his attention returned to Mordin who gave him the answer, "Problematic", and came back to you.

"And you think that really worked?", you asked straight away as he was within earshot.

Mordin smiled:" Most people are afraid of being cut open."

"I wouldn´t be so sure about that. Don´t know if he even knows how to fear."

"Will see. Suggest you stay with me when feeling helpless. Also could use some help with cure."

"If you say so, doctor Solus", you smiled while cautiously focusing the Prothean .

* * *

What Mordin said proved to be true. The first few days after the mission, when you helped the Salarian with the cure, Javik was not around. You actually started to get relaxed and recalled everything you still knew about molecular biology. To work with Mordin again felt very good. Especially when Eve, the female Krogan, asked him to sing a song. Within these moments he looked more happy then you remembered him in the last year.

Now it was getting late, so you asked Mordin if he still needed help with anything, but he answered with a "No".

Suddenly Eve asked:"Why do you wear gloves all the time, (Name)?"

You looked at her slightly surprised and before you could say anything, Mordin replied:"(Name)´s hands extremely sensitive. Gloves allow better control and less distraction."

You gave him a thankful look and nodded:"As I served under Shepard´s command the first time, Mordin attended to the problem with my skin and designed the gloves and my whole armor for me. Since that I have a better focus and can concentrate more on my tasks."

"That was very kind of him", Eve stated thoughtfully. "I thank you for telling me that. I wish you a good night, (Name)."

"Have a good night, too", you gave back, then went out of the med bay.

Silence filled the whole deck and no one was up anymore, which animated you to nearly sneak to your quarters.

"Pathetic...", it suddenly came from your right side.

You swirled around to see Javik leaning against the door of the elevator.

You grimaced in disgust:"What the hell do you want again?"

His eyes were narrowed and glowed in a wrathful way, like fire in the middle of the night.

You crossed your arms in a defensive gesture as tension built up between you.

"What happened? Lost your voice?", you mocked him with a grin on your face.

He stopped leaning against the wall and approached you slowly, his eyes not moving away from you.

"I want to know how it is even possible that such a low creature like you is able to wield a power that only my species could control."

"First: I am not a 'low creature'. And second: Using biotics is nothing special. The whole race of the Asari can use them. I thought you as a high evolved Prothean would know such unimportant details."

He took a step forward, practically a few inches away from your face, piercing you with his eyes as a low growl came from his throat.

"You think you are strong and independent, but yet you run to the lowest evolved animals in this cycle like a child. You are not less primitive then your ancestors were. In my cycle you would be cut into pieces to analyze this anomaly of yours in every form. Green biotics were only seen throughout the Prothean species. Be thankful I let you live with such a gift not even your whole race would be worthy of, human."

You looked into his eyes, trying to withstand the wave of hatred coming from his side.

"You talk like you have the right to judge me or anyone else only because you lost in your cycle and now think you have the duty to lead us to victory. You are not the only one who lost something, remember that. And the next time you want to threaten me, I suggest you think of something better then reusing the words of Mordin in a different order."

You did not wait to hear his response and left him. As you entered your room, you sat down in front of the window with a deep sigh. You had to deal with that fool somehow, but didn´t know how exactly...

* * *

"Commander?"

"Yes, (Name)?"

"Why did you pick Javik and me again for this Mission? This relic should stay where it belongs: on a dusty attic."

"Damn it, (Name)! We can use every help we can get for this life-sucking war. And Javik is one of the most skilled soldiers I have ever seen. Besides I thought you could help each other."

You looked at him more than a bit confused:"Excuse me?"

"He seems to have nearly the same abilities in 'reading' things, like you. I assumed with having such a thing in common, you would get along splendid."

"He what!?", you asked, thinking you had misheard.

"If you wouldn´t trade insults the whole time, you might have found out. I promised you to tell no one, so you have to do that yourself."

"He already hates me because I am able to use the same biotics only his kind was able to use. What do you think he will do when I go over and tell him: 'Hey, we have the same crazy reading skills! Do you want to be my new best friend?' "

You faceplamed while speaking to yourself:"And they entrusted you with negotiations ..."

The sudden sound of footsteps stopped your conversation and you both turned around to face your Prothean squad mate.

"Commander."

"Javik", Shepard nodded."Ready?"

"Yes."

You looked at him through narrowed eyes and studied his behavior. Your confrontation two days ago brought you to a point you wanted to hit him whenever you saw him. As your eyes met, you could read in his gaze that he still wasn´t finished with you.

Your eyes narrowed even more and you clenched your fists, then boarded the shuttle to prevent unwise actions against that stupid ass.

* * *

You were about to land on a planet named Utukku to search for a missing Krogan scout team.

"We are supported by the Aralakh Company in this matter. It is said the missing team was investigating Rachni activities."

"In my cycle we used the Rachni as living weapons."

"Weapons?"

"They were only animals then, without technology. Violent but useful. When they became a problem, we burned two-hundred worlds to stop them."

You shook your head in a judging way: 'How surprising...'

Then you looked from Javik to Shepard:" You encountered the last living Rachni queen on Noveria and let her go. I don´t know, but I find it hard to believe that she would take advantage of that only to risk her entire race to get wiped out again."

"We haven´t seen any Rachni activity yet, maybe the rumors stay rumors."

The shuttle landed roughly on the ground, then its door slid open. It revealed a desert-like landscape with many rocks, mountains and canyons. As all of you got out of the shuttle, a Krogan in silver armor walked up to you. Yes, that could be no one else than your former crewmate Grunt.

"Shepard ?Heh! Shepard!", he shouted in a friendly and welcoming tone.

"Grunt! Didn´t think to find you here!", Shepard greeted him.

They quickly exchanged information and talked about how he went up leading the Aralakh Company.

Then Grunt looked at you:"Ah, (Name)! Still handling your biotics like the last time?"

You gave a playful smile:"Even got better. You will see it soon, I hope."

Javik watched the whole scene from a slight distance, then suddenly walked up right next to you.

"Yes, you are the one. The Krogan who occupied my quarters on the Normandy. You left your mark."

'Oh for god´s sake...', you thought for yourself.

"What!? Who is this, Shepard?"

"You shouldn´t be so anxious to face the Rachni. They were formidable opponents, even to my people."

You rolled your eyes:"Couldn´t you just keep your mouth shut for once, instead of pissing people off the whole time?"

He turned fully to you, his upper lip pulling up slightly, he revealed his fangs.

"I do as I please, human."

"Should I start begging for mercy now? Well, that won´t happen, because your threats are not working on me, you dumbhead."

He started to snarl and got even closer, so that he nearly touched your forehead.

"One more word and the Commander will not be able to bring you back to the Normandy in one piece", he whispered, a deep growl vibrating in his throat. "You are a primitive human, not worthy of the air you are breathing."

"I will tear your head from your shoulders if you try to touch me..."

"HEY! THAT´S ENOUGH!", Shepard intervened with a furious expression."I will not hear any of that on this mission again. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Shepard."

"Understood, Commander."

You looked at Javik and gave him a glare that could literally kill before you drew your assault rifle and followed Shepard to the edge of a cliff.

 **A/N: Wasn´t satisified with this chapter until know. I hope you enjoyed reading and are eager to see finally some action between Javik and your character in the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

After you grabbed the stuff you needed form the small hut near your landing area, Shepard led you down a small way to the Krogan camp. Right at the moment you saw the Krogan soldiers standing around and chatting, Javik commented on their overconfidence and that it was their weakness. He might be the first person since long you really wouldn´t mind dying, but at this point you had to admit he was right. The camp was far to near the edge of the cliff without any real guards scanning the area for enemies.

The huts at the cliff were hanging slightly over the edge. Shepard slowly entered one of them, looking around for some clues. The metal creaked under the weight of you three. Your heartbeat increased as you walked further into the room. All of a sudden the hut began to slide down the cliff, then it stopped for a second before it went down in one motion. You tried to hold on to the door frame, but the impact with the ground threw you right out of the door at the other end of the room. You tried to soften the fall by rolling off, but it proved not very helpful. Your shoulder landed right on the top of a rock that stuck out of the sand. You let out an unwanted cry of pain as it ran through your body.

"Damn it!", you snarled as you held your right shoulder, massaging it.

"(Name), are you okay?", Shepard asked while quickly walking to your side.

With a move of your hand you told him you were alright. You didn´t want to lower your guard, especially while being around that certain Prothean fool. Doctor Chakwas would take care of it later. You stood up, ignoring the pain as good as you could, drawing your blade. If you were going to fight in tunnels, your skills with the katana would be more effective. Shepard nodded, then turned around to face the darkness of the tunnels.

"Your behavior is irresponsible. You will put our mission at risk because of that, human."

You looked Javik straight in the eye. You were sick of his words, but didn´t say anything. His four eyes glowed back at you; cold golden orbs filled with antipathy and hatred. Then you heard a shrill sound in the distance giving you the creeps. You spun around, your weapon raised in a defensive way. The Prothean was forgotten and you moved forward to follow Shepard who was about to disappear behind a corner.

You slapped yourself literally. The Commander relied on you and all you could do was starting nearly another quarrel with Javik. As you reached Shepard, he didn´t seem to have noticed your absence. Javik appeared right next to you, acting like the past few moments had never happened.

The further you walked inside the caves, the darker it got. Even with your flashlight it was hard to see what was in the darkness behind the light. The air was cool and humid, like being in the cellar on a hot summer´s day. You took a deep breath...it smelled of iron. You caught up with Shepard as he finally stopped. He stood in front of a dead Krogan who was lying between small rocks.

"Must have been dead for a few days now", you said while examining his body. "We should take his flame-thrower, it could help us finish his mission."

You bent down to pick up the weapon and realized that his eyes were still open. They looked empty and dull. Grief filled your heart as you were reminded of the person that saved your life when you were just a child and who died protecting you.

Your hand moved up to close these Krogan eyes for the last time, gently touching the eyelids to move them down.

'Rest in peace... _father..._ ', the words ran through your head as this old memory of your loss echoed in your mind.

* * *

After a while the darkness vanished and was replaced by some light of strangely blue glowing lichens. In the chambers before, you had encountered Reaper technology and modified Rachni. Shepard told you, he let the last Rachni queen go under the condition she never returns. To break her promise and ally with the Reapers to fight their former destroyers seemed very unlikely.

After what felt like an hour to you, you finally reached the central chamber of the complex.

"I suppose that´s the Rachni queen, isn´t it?" you asked, pointing to the end of the chamber.

Shepard confirmed:"Yes, she is. Come on."

He jumped down the ledge, heading towards the queen. Out of a sudden, giant metal walls rose from the ground, blocking your path.

"Move it!", he shouted, now running. Walls came up from everywhere and of course, also right in front of you.

"That means we have to fight to reach her", you stated, taking cover behind a nearby rock.

Husks came from the left side and a few Rachni placed themselves a bit behind them.

"Concentrate on the husks, I´ll take them out!", you called out to Shepard then started moving.

You held your katana close to you while sliding through your enemies ranks. The husks were moving their attention to you the closer you got to the Ravagers. Their cannons fired at you in a quick rate, leaving only one or two seconds for you without their shooting.

As you were a few meters away, you paused behind a giant stone column. This would allow Shepard and Mr. Superior to simply shoot the remaining husks, you would kill those standing in your direct way. The first two you could easily execute. The third however jumped right on top of you, pressing you to the ground as your katana was smashed out of your hand. He tried to bite you, tried to sink his ugly teeth into your throat. You held him off with your arm as good as you could, then threw him away with help of your biotics to the next wall. You picked up your sword and ran to your targets.

The first Ravager you stabbed right in its head where a giant metal ring was. Then ducked under the attack of the second, which tried to pierce you with its legs. Like a dancer you swirled around. Your weapon slipped right under its front sac and you pulled it straight up to cut it in half. With a roll you withdrew a shot from the last and slid beside it, running your blade through its middle sacs, then cut off its head.

Slightly panting you looked at Shepard. He nodded, but also signaled that this was just the beginning. You raised your blade and moved to the other side, continuing your work.

* * *

The Rachni queen looked into the far distance:"The children return. They will destroy us all. Release us!"

Her gaze returned to Shepard. He looked not very pleased with the situation. As Grunt reached him through the com-link, explaining their growing problem with the Rachni and his team, a shadow fell upon his face.

"We leave the queen behind. She is not trustworthy anymore."

You looked at him in disbelief:"Shepard, you can´t be serious! She is too valuable to let her die..."

"The Commander has decided", Javik snapped at you with narrowed eyes.

"Please Shepard, change your mind", you begged, ignoring the Prothean.

He stared at you for a moment, then started:"I don´t know if she is lying or not. It could as well be a trap. I am sorry (Name), but we have to go."

Your thoughts rushed through your head. The sympathy inside you screamed that it would be wrong to let her die. There was a way to find out if she was saying the truth, but was it worth what was coming with it?

You glanced over to Javik. The coldness in his eyes and the disdain that lay in his body language; with the pulled up lip and that superior look on his face. You already knew that it wouldn´t become any better, so you made your choice. To save the life of the queen had more value to you than a pissed-off Prothean.

'Screw it! It´s worth the try...'

You took off your gloves and grabbed Shepard by the wrist to drag him right in front of the queen. Then you took a deep breath and touched one of the queen´s small arms and Shepard´s temple.

You closed your eyes as you searched through the queen´s mind to find what you were looking for. The emotions she felt when she got captured, the view when she saw her children getting killed and the Reapers stole her new ones to make them slaves. All the hatred, all the pain and all the helplessness she felt while they tortured her. And then finally the hope she was winning again as you arrived. She was saying the truth, you could sense it. It was like reading a book, and this book was never lying to you, you had done this many times with other persons.

You transferred all of it right into the Commander´s mind, then disconnected from their spirits. You felt dizzy because you weren´t used to such a quick exchange between two different life forms. You stumbled back and rested for a few seconds against a rock to your left. Shepard shook his head in confusion, yet managed to handle what he just saw. You looked at him with exhausted eyes and he looked back at you. Understanding flickered in his eyes. His hand wandered to his ear to the communication device.

"Grunt, buy us some time for the queen to escape and fall back to lead us out of here."

A feeling of relief settled within you and you stood up to put on your gloves again and ready yourself to leave this place. To your regret you were not prepared for a hand to grab you by the throat and smash you against the rock you used to rest.

"How did you do that!?", Javik spit out, a deep growl forming in his chest while his lips pulled back completely. You squirmed in his grip, starting to gasp for air as the hand grew tighter around your neck.

"JAVIK, STOP!", Shepard yelled at him. "WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS ON THE NORMANDY, BUT NOT RIGHT HERE!"

The Prothean let go and turned to the Commander with a darkness in his eyes, even he had never seen before. For a few seconds it seemed that he was fighting the urge to rip you into pieces right now and the command Shepard gave him. He stepped back, resting all four hateful eyes on you. You got up coughing and panting. Your face turned into a scowl that evenly matched his expression.

At the time Grunt reached you, drawing the attention to himself by shooting his way through a rock.

"Now everybody MOVE!", Shepard shouted, then freed the queen with a shot into the Reaper Node that was controlling the shackles of the queen.

* * *

"Cortez, fly us out of here as fast as possible. We need to get Grunt some medical treatment!" Shepard demanded as he led the Krogan to a near seat in the shuttle.

You were on the other side, helping Grunt to sit. After that you knelt down in front of him and put all your remaining Medi-gel on the worst and biggest wounds he had, pressing against them to stop the orange blood from coming out. It ran over your fingers and started to cover the floor. Javik was standing beside the whole scene as if nothing was going on.

"Shepard, we need to hurry!", you shouted towards the cockpit. Grunt was slightly staggering from one to the other side on his seat.

"Hey, Grunt! Come on, stay with me!", you grabbed his shoulder with one hand and shook him. He muttered something unintelligible and then suddenly started to fall over at your direction. You tried to push him back, but he was too heavy and so he took you with him to the floor. The air was pressed out of your lungs as you were completely buried under the Krogan. You put your hands against his chest to shove him away, failing in it. You started to slam your fists against the ground to make someone aware of your situation. Within a few seconds the body was slightly lifted so you could help to place him back on the seat.

"Oh man, thank you Shep-", you started and turned around. It was not Shepard who stood right in front of you, no, it was Javik. You wanted to back off, though you were already standing against the wall where Grunt sat. You were confused, extremely confused. At one moment he wanted to rip your head off and in the next he saves you from suffocation!?

"It is not the Krogan who will take your life", he spoke under his breath, his accent causing his red throat to vibrate a bit. "It will be me..."

With that he stepped away from you to the other side of the small room. You didn´t wait for him to reach the place from where he would watch you, but attending Grunt.

It took you about five more minutes till the shuttle landed on the Normandy. Shepard and you carried Grunt out of the shuttle, where you were replaced by James. You walked with them to the elevator and wanted to join them.

"Sorry, (Name). There is no space anymore. Wait here, I will come as soon as Grunt is in the med bay. And please don´t start something with Javik again, we will discuss that when I am back," Shepard told you with his whole authority ringing through his voice.

You looked to the floor and nodded. He still was pissed off at what happened back in the caves and made clear that he would not see any more of this in his crew.

The door closed and you heard the elevator moving up. You wiped the Krogan blood off your hands as good as you could. Some kind of distraction would be nice till Shepard came back.

'There, the punching bag looks quite good to let off some steam', you had in your mind and walked over to it.

"Human!", you heard Javik call from the other side of the shuttle bay. You turned around to face him.

"I want to know why you are carrying the abilities of my people with you!"

You groaned in frustration, then pinched the bridge of your nose:" Listen, I don´t want to talk about it now. You know, I am not quite fond of people who tried to choke me to death and then want to squeeze me for information."

He harrumphed, gritting his teeth in anger:"I have the right that you impart this knowledge to me. I insist on it!"

"You have no fucking right to insist on anything, you son of a bitch! You think you can awake from stasis and then demand the once primitive races of your time as if you were still living in the great Prothean Empire of yours. Well, you can screw that shit, because I don´t take orders from anyone but the Commander himself!"

You turned around and walked away.

"You are a defilement for my people. Your single existence is an insult to me and any Prothean who ever lived." He paused. " You should never have existed!"

You stopped in your movement, frozen, your muscles stiffened. These words...you had heard them before...

You looked to the ground as you turned around again, then looked at the Prothean. You stared at him with a cold expression. Within less than a second you threw your biotics at him, making him fly against the shuttle. You walked towards him, your green biotics covering your body while anger and hatred stoked your inner fire.

Javik slowly came to his knees. You readied your next strike to knock him unconscious, but instead you were hit by a sudden shockwave from him and flew straight through the hall. You met the ground and rolled further back until you came to a stop. Your body ached as you tried to stand up. He approached you with a teeth-gritting face, eyes wide open and lips pulled back while his fists were clenched.

You stood up to face him, but fell down on your knees because of convulsive pain. You crouched like a ball in front of him. This bastard wanted to play dirty? He would get to play dirty...

Your next step caught him flat-footed, as you concentrated your energy in an biotic break-out, sending him away from you. To your surprise Javik nearly jumped up, immediately throwing a nearby container at you. Still on your knees you shot up your arms to build a small barrier for protection. After the impact you gave it up to save energy.

" _ **You will regret what you did, human**_ _!",_ Javik exclaimed against you.

You ignored what he said and lifted the container he had thrown at you, giving it back to him with more speed than he had used. He dodged by rolling aside which you used to your advantage. You focused on the stacked containers to your left. With one fluent move of your arms and your biotic powers you brought them down.

Metal crashed into metal as they flew against each other, scattering across the shuttle bay. You quickly hid behind one of them before Javik could spot you. Your plan was to sneak up on him and knock him out before he could do the same to you. The rub was, that he could easily find you if he used his reading abilities, so you had to act right now.

You took your fighting-chain out of its bag and threw it at a container a few steps away. The sound echoed through the room, then a deadly silence replaced it. You waited for him to go after the noise, but nothing happened.

Without a warning your container was pushed against you, which led you to a uncontrolled stumble and you fell.

Your hide-out was thrown to the side and revealed an extremely angry Prothean. Before you had the chance to react, he grabbed you by the throat as he did before and picked you up. You started to panic as you looked him in the eyes. There was a indifference in his look that almost remembered you of an attribute only a being without any conscience had.

'Shit...Come on, think of something...', the thoughts ran through your brain in high speed.

Your felt the first signs of a faint, so you decided to play out your 'Prothean'-card. With a swift move you took of your glove from one of your hands and pressed your fingers against Javik´s forehead...


	6. Chapter 6

_It was dark. Dust and pieces of a wall covered the floor. The sun was already gone and only a few lamps filled the room with their pale light. Javik sat in a corner and cleaned his weapon, his blade lying right next to him. He was alone and he knew that his people wouldn´t come for him. He told them to do so. If he finished his task he would contact them, if not...he was just another dead Prothean of the Empire. His comrades already spoke of a fallen Empire. There was no government left and food was always in short supply, that was true, but they were still alive. THEY were the Empire, and that is what only few understood. He told them many times, tried to give them hope._

 _He put his assault rifle aside and looked at the door on the other side of the room. He feared what would come, there was no sense in lying to himself. It was his fault after all, so it was his task to correct his mistakes. It was luck and bad luck at the same time, that brought him here. How could he know? The Reapers were far more intelligent than them, however he supposed they were not that different from machines in his cycle. He underestimated them, as did his whole cycle. Now they had to pay the price. They sacrificed worlds to slow them down and destroyed suns to kill them. It was horrible..._

 _Then, a noise behind the door. At first it was just a rumble, in the end it was the sound of several persons walking upstairs._

 _He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The fear ran through his body while he started to shiver. He wished he wouldn´t have to do this, but there was no turning back anymore._

 _The lights were turned off and a knock on the door sounded. They finally found him._ _He opened his eyes, then grabbed knife and weapon before he stood up. The knocking was more aggressive now and ended up in hitting against the door._

 _He put his knife away and readied his assault rifle. His golden glowing eyes fixed on the door as it slowly opened._

* * *

You slowly opened your eyes to adjust them to the bright light. You looked around to find out where you were.

"Ah, (Name). Finally decided to get up", it came from across the room. You lifted your upper body to see who spoke.

"Mordin? What happened? Why am I here?" you asked. The last thing you could remember was...was...oh...

"You had quarrel with Javik. EDI informed us. Found you two unconscious in the Shuttle Bay. Shepard not very happy about mess you fabricated."

You looked to the floor, shame started to flare up your cheeks.

The door opened and a not really amused Shepard stepped in. You didn´t look at him, you couldn´t. You just sat there and waited for him to start yelling at you, but nothing happened. You slowly lifted your head to see what was stopping him from doing so. His eyes were filled with sorrow and disappointment. You have never seen him like that, he looked almost fragile. Carefully you stood up and walked up to him.

"I am sorry, Shepard", you nearly whispered. "I shouldn´t have done this. I disobeyed you and your command..."

He tilted his head to one side, not saying a word. You hated him for doing that, he was far too good at making other people feeling even more guilty. Then you felt a hand on your shoulder, but it wasn´t Shepard´s, it was Mordin´s. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Crying was the last thing you wanted now.

Finally Shepard started to talk:"(Name), what you did was not reasonable. You could have injured yourself and others."

He stopped for a moment and continued then:"But I shouldn´t have pushed you that far. I thought it would be easier for you and Javik if you had someone that resembled in abilities."

You opened your eyes, full with thankfulness.

"Well, you only wanted the best for everyone, can´t judge you for that. However you could have listened to me, you know how much I hate it to get choked by a Prothean."

Suddenly you realized, that Javik went unconscious as well, causing your head to spin to the beds. They were empty.

"Prothean already in his quarters. No worry, (Name)", Mordin explained while he took his hand from your shoulder.

"Did he say anything about me?", the thoughts you had about him gave you a shiver.

"No. Only watched you. Then said, he would be in his room."

Shepard looked at you:"I would like you to come with me, (Name). I want to assure myself that this will not happen ever again."

You froze in your spot. Bearding the lion in his den? You were not quite sure about it, but then reminded yourself that Javik would held himself back when Shepard was around...hopefully. You nodded in agreement and put on your gloves that Mordin held out to you while smiling friendly.

* * *

You stood before Javik´s door with unease. Shepard gave you a smile, then opened it and stepped in. You followed him as he approached Javik who leaned against a table, his back facing you.

"Commander", was all he said while he remained in his position.

"What happened that you and (Name) had to turn the Shuttle Bay into a mess?"

The question was addressed to both of you, but it seemed that neither of you wanted to start.

Shepard crossed his arms:"I have time and I will wait until one of you speaks."

You let out a sigh, then stepped forward to begin.

"We had a disagreement and started a fight. It was a primitive action. I need to apologize my behavior, Commander. It will not recur", Javik said short-spoken.

"Good. Still, I would like to know why you lost consciousness. There were no signs of physical harm."

The Prothean straightened up and turned around, his eyes studying every move of you. His expression wasn´t cold nor revealed it any signs of aggression, he was just watching you...intensely. You tried to ignore the awkward staring and faced Shepard to answer his question:"I used my reading ability to avoid a direct fight."

"So you are telling me you made him faint by will?"

"No...", you replied. "I transferred the feeling of immense pain and..."

Shepard looked at you with interest:"And?"

You were not quite sure if you should tell him about the scene that was transferred from Javik´s mind into yours. You didn´t like him, not a bit, but what you saw wasn´t even meant for you...

You returned from your thoughts:"...and then it somehow made us faint. I don´t know how exactly..."

Shepard seemed convinced and nodded:"Perhaps it´s because of your different biological structure, but I am no scientist to discuss that. What matters to me is that you two understand that this is not the way to win a war and especially not the way to keep up moral."

You looked to the ground, shame heating up your cheeks:"It will not happen again."

* * *

Five days had passed since your conversation with Shepard and Javik and it finally seemed that the Prothean gave up bothering you...directly.

Whenever you went to the kitchen to have dinner, it didn´t take him ten minutes to appear and then go to a spot on the other side of the room and then watch you.

The most freaking thing about it was, that he did it without any facial expressions, nothing. At first you just shrugged it off, thinking that it was some Prothean society thing for being 'sorry'. After the third day, however, some of the crew started to gossip and even Garrus asked you why he was starring at you all the time. You told him that you didn´t know, pretending that you didn´t care about it.

"Come on, nobody understands that guy. Want to start with that now?" you asked him with a slightly bugged undertone.

On the sixth day you decided against going to dinner and instead go when everybody was asleep. That should insure he would not be able to bother you any longer and the gossip would die down as well. So you waited and waited until it was about 2.20AM when you finally stepped out of your room and went to the refrigerator. It was dead silent besides the low sound of the engine from beneath your feet. You picked up your meal and sat down on the table in the middle of the small hall.

As you were half-finished, the sound of the elevator doors reached your ears and a few seconds later Javik came around the corner, wandering to his regular spot.

'You fucking serious? What the hell am I doing wrong?'

You locked eyes with him for a moment, studying him as he did with you five days back in his quarters. Then suddenly he seemed to...smirk?

At this moment you realized that you had been staring at him longer than you had planned and quickly turned to your food again.

"Amusing", he suddenly said, still watching you.

You looked at him quite confused:"What?"

"Your reaction. I only needed to smirk to make you insecure. In most cases it is considered a weakness of personality."

Was he serious!? After all what was, and you began to believe it was over, he wanted to start it again!?

"But I can understand that you are not accustomed to withstand the gaze of a being with four eyes, especially a Prothean as I am", his smirk appeared again.

You relaxed a bit as you understood that he was joking...which seemed like something impossible to you.

"I am very familiar to faces with four eyes because I lived half my life with Batarians before I joined Shepard´s crew" you paused and reconsidered to take away the aggression of your answer. "Believe me, when they are in a rage they can look even more grim than you."

You laughed to underline your intention of a friendly conversation with him, but he remained silent. You were uncertain how you should interpret his actions, it was not typical of him. Nobody changed within a few days, especially not if said person had the desire to kill someone, you didn´t trust him. You finished eating and thought about asking him something, though you were not quite sure what about. So you worked up the courage to ask him one of the many questions you had, and probably the most uncomfortable for you:"Why do you wish my death?"

To your surprise he walked up to your table and stopped right in front of you, hands behind his pack like you would expect it of a high ranked military. He looked at some point in the distance, but his thoughts remained a mystery as you searched his face for any answers.

"Did", he said. "I do no more."

You did not know what to answer to that, so you kept looking at him.

" _ **But this is neither the time nor the place to talk about a matter like this. If you wish to know my intentions then you may come to me tomorrow.**_ "

His gaze met yours and his eyes appeared to glow in a yellow, almost golden, light as he waited for a response.

He spoke to you in Prothean as he did when you had the fight. You understood what he said, but how did he know? Was he testing you for some reason? You had no idea and decided to answer in his mother tongue:" _ **I will be there.**_ "


	7. Chapter 7

You knocked on Javik´s door and waited for a sign to step in, but it remained silent. You knocked again without success. Did he change his mind for some reason or did he just fool you?

You decided to go inside, no matter what was actually the case, and slowly let your hand glide over the hologram on the middle of the door. It opened and you stepped inside to see where the Prothean was and why he wasn´t opening. He was sitting on his knees in the middle of the room while his eyes were closed and his hands folded in his lap.

You looked at him, unsure what to do. He seemed to be calm and even relaxed, like a monk in deep meditation.

" _ **Sit**_ ", he said to your surprise. You did as he said and wanted to take a seat about a meter away.

" _ **Closer**_ ", his voice vibrated through the air as he spoke.

You took another step forward, shortening the distance to about two feet and sat down like he did.

The moment you looked at his face when you were ready to talk, you realized that he had been watching you.

You gazed back at him, but this time you wanted to make sure he would not be able to push you in such a uncomfortable situation as he did last time in the kitchen and readied yourself for comments. However he didn´t say a thing and instead kept staring, as if he was almost challenging you. You had to admit that it was odd and even a bit funny.

The minutes passed as you tried not to lose this 'staring contest', which was harder than you thought. You believed that the Prothean would give up at one point because it might me too childish and primitive...and were proven wrong.

As you stared in his eyes, your thoughts concentrated on many different subjects that kept you busy. The war, the Reapers themselves, the Genophage, Cerberus...and Javik.

You came here for answers he promised you and right now you were playing a game with him. Where was the logic behind this behavior? Why didn´t he wish to kill you anymore? Could he tell you more about this 'Prothean side' you had? Would he even want to speak of his people?

So many questions and only one person who could answer them. It was obvious that you wouldn´t be able to force him, which you also didn´t want to. What good is the word of a comrade if it is forced?

Your eyes started to get dry and it became difficult to not close them. You had no idea how long you had been staring at each other now, but it seemed neither of you wanted to stop.

" _ **Hm, interesting. I thought you would give up earlier. Did you practice this before?**_ ", he asked still staring at you.

" _ **A few times with some Batarians. They thought they were superior because of their four eyes. I showed them they weren´t**_ ", you responded with a smile playing around your lips.

He chuckled, then remained silent. Speaking his language was somehow soothing, but you asked yourself what was going on in his head, it confused you why he was acting this friendly.

" _ **Javik, you said you would tell me what changed your mind to let me live.**_ "

Your sentence seemed to distract him so much, he wasn´t paying attention to the staring anymore and blinked. Suddenly his expression hardened and he looked away. You slapped yourself mentally for asking him as you saw his reaction.

When he looked at you again he had put his wall up again and remained on the floor while saying:" The day you used your abilities to stop our fight we had an exchange of memories. It brought me to the conclusion that it would be of no use to kill you. You are worth more when you are alive. A useful weapon in this war to hit the enemy."

'I...what!?", anger rose within you as your mind came to terms with his words.

Your eyes narrowed as you looked him straight in the eye:"So I am just some kind of tool for you to use in this damn war!? Oh that´s great! You know what, screw you!"

You immediately rose from your spot, stormed out of the room to the elevator, pressed the button to open its door and stepped in. You went to the shuttle bay for some distraction...and to let off steam.

* * *

"Hey, chica! What´s going on?"

Your head spun around to James as you walked passed him and to the punching bag.

"Not now, Vega. I am not in the mod for conversation!", you started hitting the bag aggressively.

"But it´s nearly midnight and you are punching the bag like a madwoman. You should better be going to bed."

"Don´t tell me what I should do and what not. If I feel like punching the hell out of this bag I do so", your biotics flared up for a moment.

"Easy!", he held up his hands in defense. "Just saying..."

With these words he went to the elevator and left you alone in the room. You took a deep breath and focused on the punching bag. After you calmed yourself to a level where you could concentrate yourself again, you grabbed a training-sword laying on a table and worked on your techniques. You went from the typical 'hack and slay' to more strategic moves and then integrated a role or a somersault here and there to 'dodge a blow'.

The sound of footsteps from behind you made you sigh and you closed your eyes as you turned around:"James, I told you..."

But it wasn´t Vega, no, it was your curse, Javik, approaching you. He stopped a few meters away, hands behind his back.

"What do you want? Do I have to lock every door I use to stop seeing you?", you hissed while you tried to control your rage.

His eyes narrowed and his face darkened:"No."

He went to the table with the training-swords and took one in his hand, then positioned himself in front of you.

"I want you to face me."

Then he stroke his first blow, which you were barely able to parry. You jumped back to put some distance between you and prepared yourself. You started to circle each other while holding your swords up in defense. You tried to read his expression, the way his eyes were moving, to see where he would strike next. Suddenly he stepped forward and tried to hit your shoulder. Again your reaction came almost too late to save you. You reconsidered your tactic and started to attack. You aimed for his head first, he stopped it easily. Then his leg, again stopped with effortlessness. Wherever you wanted to hit him, he always seemed to know what you were up to. It took you about an half an hour till you were sweating all over your body and the feeling of frustration overcame you. Javik still showed no expressions as he focused on your moves and waited for you next step.

This could not be, it didn´t make any sense. How was he able to foresee every move you made, it was impossible!

Just the moment you didn´t pay any attention to what he was doing, he threw you to the ground by kicking your legs aside. You landed on your stomach while your sword was falling out of your hand. Then you felt the tip of a sword on your neck what caused you to look up and see the Prothean stand right beside you. Then he put his sword aside and offered you a hand to stand up.

You hesitated for a moment, then took it with caution. He pulled you up as you were a featherweight and you became aware of the fact that he had far more strength than you had imagined. Still you never thought that he would defeat you in sword fighting.

"You have an excellent technique...but you rely too much on what your eyes show you. Perhaps we should do this more often. Tomorrow evening?", Javik asked with an even-tempered voice as he looked at you.

You thought you had misheard him. He offered you...'training'?

You raised an eyebrow and gave him a suspicious look:"And what about what happened back in your quarters?"

He looked to the side and to the ground as if unsure what to say:"I apologize for my behavior. I have...absorbed some residues of the Krogan that lived in my room. I didn´t mean to offend you."

You took a deep breath while pinching the bridge of your nose. You thought for a moment what you should answer to that.

"It´s alright. We all have our moments where our mouth already talks before our brain can stop it."

He nodded:" _ **Then I will see you tomorrow.**_ "

* * *

"And then he left!", you sat on a bed in the Med Bay, watching Mordin working on the Genophage.

"Had mental connection. Might be reason for changed behavior. Maybe he saw things in line with female Protheans and now wishes to 'deepen' contact", Mordin suggested without even looking at you.

You froze in your spot and heat rose into your cheeks as you realized what the Salarian just said.

"He could be right. Testing the strength of a potential partner is important if you want to have fit children", Eve intervened.

"Could you two just stop!? I came here for advice and not for a lesson about how to choose a partner!", you shouted halfway, jumped off the bed and walked to your room.

You took a seat on one of the bench-like sofas and tried to force this horrible blush away. Unexpectedly the door opened and Garrus stepped inside.

"(Name), are you alright? I saw you walking out of the Med Bay with a completely red face. Was Mordin not able to help you?"

For a moment you were annoyed that he showed up, but then reminded yourself of the fact that he hadn´t anything to do with it. You turned around to look at him:"No Garrus, I am alright. Mordin and Eve were joking about something foolish and I was ashamed of it. Humans get red faces sometimes when they feel shame, that´s all."

"Oh, then I´m glad to hear that you´re well. Do you mind to tell me what this foolish thing was?"

"Actually I hope to forget it as soon as I can", you chuckled a bit.

"It´s okay. How about I help you forget it even quicker? Have had lunch yet?"

You shook your head:" Had no time, I have to admit. But I am honored that the great Archangel sacrifices his time to help a poor girl in need."

Both of you laughed, then he walked up to you, grabbed your hand and pulled you out of your seat.

"Easy, Garrus! Lunch is not going to run from us."

His mandibles twitched as his blue, energized eyes stared at you:"Well, the Reapers could burn it to ashes. So I say we better eat it before this happens."

You crossed your arms and smiled at him:"I bet you could easily convince them to wait. You just have to say that you´re in the middle of some calibrations."

"Yeah, yeah...you won...this time. Now let´s go, I am starving!"

* * *

Javik was sitting on his knees, eyes closed, thinking of the human (Name). He was studying the memories he got while they were connected:

 _"So you think you can find out why I have the ability to gather information from what- and whoever I want when I touch it?", (Name) asked with caution. "Not even Cerberus could."_

 _The Salarian turned around:"Cerberus might have done great work with Shepard and Mrs. Lawson, but is not very good at analyzing DNA. Different for me. Has been my main subject. Was best at STG..still might be."_

 _He continued his work while (Name) sat on a chair on the other side of the laboratory, waiting for the result. Fear started to consume her and she tried to control it as best as she could. What was she? Was she some kind of monster created in a test-tube? An...abomination?_

 _She needed to know the truth, no matter how threatening it was._

 _"Finished tests, (Name). No abnormalities within your genes. You´re fully human", he looked at her with a smile._

 _"Are you sure? Nothing? Really? Thank you, Mordin! Thank you so much!", she almost ran to him and embraced him._

 _He was caught off guard by her reaction and slowly stroked her back; like someone would do with a child to comfort it._

The Salarians´ behavior might have been normal at the first sight, but the more he watched this scene the more he believed the Salarian lied. His smile seemed to be normal but nearly unrecognizable twitches indicated that he was lying. The way he comforted her only increased this theory. Javik wanted to know what was behind all this. The abilities (Name) possessed didn´t came out of nowhere, he felt it when she touched him...the answer was in her DNA.

He opened this so called "Omni-Tool" to check the time...how primitive this device was. It showed 7.24PM. He stood up and slowly walked to the door. At least he had something to do that appeared to become amusing.


	8. Chapter 8

"Dead, again..."Javik said as he stood above you while he held his training sword to your throat.

You bristled with anger and got up. The Prothean defeated you...again...for the 11th time this evening. As you looked around you saw James and Cortez standing at the edge of your training ground, having a chat while looking at you now and then.

It was the fifth evening you and Javik trained together and you still hadn´t won a single round. However your number of spectators had grown since the first day. The crew seemed to be extremely interested in what you were doing.

"I think we should continue our training tomorrow, for now there is no more that would develop a good base for the future", the Prothean said as he took your sword from the ground and put it away.

You nodded in his direction, then sighed in frustration and walked towards the elevator. Just before the doors were about to close, Javik quickly slid inside, walked beside you and waited for the doors to finally close. You looked at him out of the corner of your eye, studying his facial expression. He looked at the wall in front of him, not showing any emotions, seeming to be deep in thought. Frustration overcame you once again as you thought of your countless defeats he was responsible for. You needed to know how he could do this, it made you crazy.

"You think too much", he suddenly said, eyes still directed at the wall.

You turned you head towards him, the surprise audible in your voice:"What?"

"You think too much."

The elevator´s doors opened and he stepped out. Before they closed again, he gave you a almost unrecognizable grin, returned by you by a questioning look.

What the hell was that now!? Sometimes you really had your doubts if Javik was just weird or if he was making fun of you by defeating you in front of everyone.

As you arrived on the crew deck you saw Mordin and Shepard alone in the Med Bay, arguing heatedly. The scene made you somehow uncomfortable as you saw your Salarian mentor throwing his arms around wildly and shaking his head violently. The Commander had his arms crossed in a defensive way as he listened to what Mordin said.

You were not quite sure if you should interrupt or stay out of it. But before you could react, Shepard said something and then left the room, heading towards Liara´s quarters. You saw this as your chance to ask Mordin what had brought him to quarrel with Shepard and entered the Bay.

"Hello, (Name)! Didn´t expect you to visit me that late. Everything alright? Prothean didn´t harm you in training, did he?", he smiled at you as if nothing had happened.

"Everything´s in order", you gave him a concerned look."I came because I saw you having an argument with Shepard. Is there any problem with the Genophage? Can I help you somehow?"

He remained silent for a while and just gazed at you, making his typical thinker´s pose.

"Genophage is ready. But Reaper placed itself in front of tower I want to use. Spreading it other way will be too slow. Situation is...problematic."

"So you will have to do it as soon as possible or the tower will be destroyed otherwise. When will we go?"

"Tomorrow morning. But (Name). Too dangerous to come-"

"Mordin, I can´t let you do this alone! Especially when there is a Reaper that just waits for you to kill you all. I have to be there to protect you!"

"Will have enough protection with Wrex, Shepard and whole Krogan clan."

"You will have enough when I am with you. I...", your voice was trembling and quitted the service.

You couldn´t let him run into his own death. If anything would happen to him, you could never forgive yourself for not being there.

That was the moment when you felt that he embraced you, slowly stroking you back. You returned the embrace and buried your face in his lab coat. It were these small moments when he was no scientist but a person that cared for you as much as you did for him. He was the one that lifted you up and gave you a new purpose, slowly becoming a second father to you.

"Please, let me come with you", you pleaded looking into his amphibian eyes.

"Shepard´s decision, (Name)..."

* * *

"You got to be kidding me, right!? What the hell has gotten into you!", you nearly yelled at Shepard, only being held back by the wish to join the mission.

"I tell you for the last time, (Name): I chose my squad already and won´t change my mind", Shepard explained with a clear undertone of annoyance.

You grunted in disapproval and walked up and down trying to take control of your anger.

"We are ready, Commander", a familiar Prothean voice said from behind you.

You swirled around:" Seriously!? You take him!?"

Shepard looked at you intently and you could feel the tension while he spoke:"I take him because he seems to be focused on the task that lies ahead and doesn´t waste my time, questioning his commander´s orders."

As you realized what he said you felt ashamed on one hand and still angry on the other. You shook your head and walked away from the shuttle, heading for your quarters.

Then something grabbed your gloved hand rather harsh. You glared at the person who dared to touch you now and saw Javik.

" _ **Regain your composure, the Salarian will not be harmed as long as I am around. Trust me, Vereshan**_ ", his voice was soothing and you felt an unknown shiver run down your spine. A glance in his four golden eyes assured you that he meant what he said.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath:" _ **I do trust you.**_ "

He slightly nodded and let go of your hand to join Shepard at the shuttle.

"Don´t worry, (Name). We will look after Mordin and bring him back save and sound", Garrus´ voice took you by surprise as he suddenly stood beside you.

"You are going with them?", you asked, still focused on Javik.

"Yep. Shepard decided it would be good if I join him on that one, because it´s good for the politics if a high ranked Turian helps to cure the Genophage. Also he mentioned something about that he needed someone with sniper skills."

"Thank you", you gave him a little smile but then turned your attention to Mordin and Eve who were approaching you.

"Stress not good for you, (Name). Plan will work. Will be back in a few hours", Mordin tried to encourage you.

"I hope you are right. Please be careful," you looked at Eve. "Both of you."

With that Garrus, Eve and Mordin went to the shuttle and you watched as everyone entered it before you went back to your room.

As you arrived you sat down in front of the big window of you quarters. Nervousness overcame you while you thought of all the horrible scenarios that could happen.

Then the words of Javik came to your mind again. He started to be nice to you, but something like that appeared to be out of line, even for him. How his eyes suddenly had this depth and almost looked like pools of honey. You shook your head, blushing, as it came to your mind that you started a rather romantic description of his eyes.

But that word " _ **Vereshan**_ "; it sounded Prothean but why didn´t you know its meaning? Damn it, he wasn´t even that kind to the Commander!

Javik was a riddle you could yet no solve, however Mordin´s situation was something you couldn´t solve either. This was one of the few times in your life where you didn´t know what you were supposed to do. Mordin was in grave danger and you sat here, wondering what might become of him. And Javik? He is a member of a race that vanished fifty thousand years ago, leaving nearly nothing of their culture besides some ruins. What conclusions could you draw from his actions? The only thing you could do, was to take comfort in sitting there, cross-legged and meditating. Praying that everything would turn out as it was planned...

* * *

"(Name)?"

"Yes, Joker?", you looked at the ceiling.

"Shepard is returning from his mission. Thought you wanted to know."

"Alright, thanks."

You stood up from your meditation and walked to the elevator with a mixture of happiness and fear. Were they really able to cure the Genophage? Had there been any problems? How was Mordin doing? Had he been hurt ?

The time in the elevator felt like hours to you before you finally arrived by the Shuttles. As you stepped out you could see everyone coming out: Shepard...Garrus...Javik...Cortez. Then the door of the shuttle closed...

You froze right in your movement and gave Shepard a confused and horrified look. Suddenly you felt it, a wave of sorrow and pity, emanating from him, that literally slapped you in the face before you could see his look that said:"I am sorry...".

You took a few steps back, unable to say anything, and rushed back to the elevator, disappearing behind its doors before anyone could reach you to clam you down. You hit the metal walls with your fists as tears ran down your cheeks. Slowly the sobbing took over your whole body, causing you to tremble uncontrollably, preventing you from hurting you any further. You didn´t want to talk about it. You didn´t want anyone to find you. You just wanted to be alone...

* * *

There she was, standing right in front of them. Her eyes shot from one to the other, expecting the Salarian to step out of the shuttle. Horror appeared in her eyes as she realized that he wasn´t with them...the reason why he wasn´t with them...

Javik felt the emotions of the Commander flooding the room and looked again at (Name). They struck her like the hit of a Brute, benumbing her body and causing her to shiver. Her mind was a mixture of sorrow...guilt...anger...shame. He could feel it as they poured out of her. Of course no one else could feel them as he did...primitives. He told the Commander not to inform (Name) right away, he had known what would happen. No matter how much of his people´s genes she inherited, the human side was still dominant, denying the Prothean one to take over in these situations. But how could she know that she even shared Prothean DNA? The Mordin-Salarian had told her otherwise.

(Name) ran to the elevator and disappeared in it before anyone could react properly.

"Damn it!", Shepard cursed in frustration as he walked towards the elevator to go after her.

Javik curled his lips up in annoyance as he walked faster to catch up with him before he could reach it.

"Commander, it is inadvisable if you go after her now. It might be better if I tend to it."

He turned around to him:"And why is that? It is my fault that she is in this state."

"Your presence will only impair the situation. Your emotions will 'seep' right into her being."

He gritted his teeth as he reconsidered what Javik had just said, looking from one side to the other.

"Fine, just don´t make it any worse", Shepard stepped aside to clear the way for him.

Inside the lift he was about to push the button for the crew deck when he sensed her sadness on the one for the engineering deck. Slowly, his fingers slid down to it and pressed against it.

 _"It´s my fault! I didn´t try hard enough..."_

Javik shook his head as the memory rushed through his mind. It was strong, no doubt, but he didn´t expect it to be THAT powerful. She really believed that it was her mistake. As he arrived at engineering he tried to make out where she went. Her trail of sadness led into the room where the driving core was, however it led downstairs to a dim room that wasn´t used for anything specific.

It was silent, only the drive core humming was audible at first, then he heard the quiet sound of crying and sobbing. (Name ) was sitting in a corner, her knees drawn-up. She was resting her forehead on them and didn´t pay any attention to her surroundings. He stepped closer and cleared his throat.

* * *

Your head shot up by the surprising noise. Your eyes searched the room and found Javik standing across from you. His hands were behind his back and he looked at you with a face stripped of any emotions as far as you could tell. The lack of light down here made it harder for you. The only bright thing however were his eyes. You were not sure about them having the ability to actually glow, but now you were sure of it. You stared at each other as tears ran down your cheeks, falling down to your legs.

"What do you want?", you finally managed to ask as you were sure that your voice wasn´t trembling that much.

For a moment he seemed to be unsure of what to say before he spoke, no spark of sympathy in his voice:" _ **Isn´t that obvious ,Vereshan?**_ "

It was. He wanted to inform you about what happened to Mordin. Talk about how he died...

"Listen, I don´t want to talk nor anyone to be near me! ANYONE! Do you hear me!? I have had enough of all this, especially if people come to me and expect me to forget and play my role!"

Anger overcame you as you remembered his promise right before they left. You stood up and walked in front of him.

"You gave me your word that no harm would come to him. I thought I could trust you!", you clenched your fists as you glared at him.

He returned your glare with an icy look:" _ **I do many things to win allies but I never lied and still do not. I said that I would shield him from any danger as long as I am around him!**_ "

" _ **Then tell me what happened that you were not able to stay by his side**_ ", you cried in a mixture of sorrow and anger, unaware of switching to Prothean. " _ **Tell me what was the reason he had to die in loneliness..."**_

Suddenly, Javik looked at you in disbelief; as he had been shaken up of a deep slumber.

"Because he wanted to protect the future", Shepard´s voice tripped you up. "To make sure the only one who he cared for like a daughter, would not throw her life away. Trying to stop what was inevitable."

* * *

A/N: It took me longer than I expected to write this chapter, but finally I got it right. Leave comments and let me know what you think. Till the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

Your glared at Shepard, literally piercing him with your eyes while tears came out of them. Javik was forgotten as your anger rose to a new unknown level. Mordin would never do such things. He would have talked to you like he always did when it had come to such matters of extreme danger. But never did he withhold anything from you, no matter what it was.

"Sorry, Shepard, but what you are saying is nonsense! We could tell each other everything and ask whatever favor. He would never do something like that!"

"I am no liar, (Name). It was what we spoke of, the evening before we left. I intended to take you with me, however Mordin disagreed with me and proved very convincing."

"No, you are the Commander! You are the one to make the decisions...", you started to cry and turned around as you tried to come to terms with this new truth.

It appeared to make sense, but you still didn´t want to accept it. You wiped the tears away, calmed yourself and turned to look at him. He had a caring look on his face while he waited for your reaction. But there was only one way you would believe him...

You took off one of your gloves and reached out for him:"Then let me see it for myself..."

"(Name), are you sure-"

"SHOW ME!"

Slowly he gave you his hand, as if the pace decided how painful the scene would be. The second your skin made contact with his, your mind was flooded with his emotions. Pain, sorrow and guilt swirled in his mind like a tornado and you tried to force them out as best as you could. You closed your eyes to concentrate on finding that memory.

* * *

 _"Why shouldn´t I take her with us? She will tear me to shreds if I don´t."_

 _"(Name) too young to die. Will not risk her life on curing Genophage. End of discussion."_

 _"Mordin, you must tell me the reason why-"_

 _"DON´T WANT TO MAKE ANY MORE MISTAKES!", he threw his arms in the air. "Many lives lost because of me. Maelon and the female Krogans... (Name) would be next..."_

 _The Salarian walked from one side to the other, shaking his head:"Got chance to make everything better. Won´t witness when it dies. Never had opportunity to have family on my own. Always work, always STG. Maelon was first attempt and failed. Consequences were horrible, saw it yourself."_

 _He stopped and looked Shepard straight in the eye:"Mission will not only be dangerous because of Reaper. Might be other problems with tower itself. (Name) would never let me go alone, if necessary."_

 _The Commander crossed his arms and looked at the scientist. He didn´t want (Name) to stay on the Normandy. She would be in pure rage when she would learn about it, probably feeling mislead. But he also knew of Mordin and the strong bonds the two shared. She would protect him with her life._

 _"Alright, Mordin. I will think about it. Just don´t tell (Name) any of this. She is tensed enough already because she worries about the coming mission."_

 _"Will do so. Hope you decide right. (Name) I see as a daughter and will not allow her to throw life away for old Salarian", pain of the possible loss flashed in his eyes as he probably thought of her being dead because of him._

 _Pity rose in his chest as he saw how emotional the normally rational scientist had grown. He would not refuse Mordin his wish and let (Name) stay on the Normandy._

* * *

So they did talk about leaving you on the Normandy! Still, you wanted to see the whole truth. You wanted to know how he died, it would let you become restless otherwise. You began to search further.

* * *

 _"No. No other options. Not coming back. Suggest you get clear. Explosions likely to be...problematic."_

 _Shepard followed the Salarian who headed for the elevator:"Mordin, no!"_

 _He stopped inside it and turned around to face him:"Shepard, please. Need to do this. My project. My work. My cure. My responsibility."_

 _"What about (Name)? What do I tell her? That I let you kill yourself? We will find another way."_

 _Mordin tilted his head slightly, a look of grief and heartsickness became apparent on his face:"Only possible way to guarantee full strength of Krogan. Without them slight chance to win. Got to be future for someone."_

 _A smile appeared on his face and the Commander knew who he meant._

 _"Mordin..."_

 _"Don´t worry. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."_

* * *

You let go of his hand and looked at him in disbelief:"You did all this on purpose? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!? I could have been there to save him! Instead you forced me to sit here and wait, wondering what was going on down there!"

"(Name), we just wanted-", Shepard started but was cut off by you.

"What? Protect me? What do you know about that? You didn´t see what I saw, didn´t feel what I felt. I lost one family while I was trying to save them, only because I was held back. And now I lost my second one with Mordin because of the same fucking reason!"

You would have liked to punch him in the face right now. And Mordin? He didn´t want you to die and died instead, trying to protect you where you could have prevented his fate. Your fury had grown into infinity and you were sick of everything. You had trusted them that they would listen and consider what you said instead of doing what they thought would be best...especially when it was about you.

"You know what? I am done with you! The next time we get to the Citadel I am gone!", you shouted at him and stormed past Shepard.

A hand grabbed your wrist, holding you back. Your mind was blurred with the anger you felt and didn´t respond to it in normal terms. You freed yourself from the grip and turned around, grabbing the person´s throat. But before your reached it, both of your wrists were in an iron grip. You tried to break free again, failing in it.

"LET GO!", you demanded, still not looking at the one holding you.

" _ **Look at me.**_ "

"NO!", your biotics flared up, flooding the room with green light.

" _ **Look at me!**_ ", the person growled now.

You looked up. It was Javik that was in front of you. He looked at you with his typical look of disdain.

" _ **You need to come to your senses again, Vereshan. Disassociate from the remains in this room, you become unaware of you actions.**_ "

What did he mean? It was as if you were...as if...of course...this room once belonged to Jack. The crazy and angry biotic woman that was on board during the fight against the Collectors. You didn´t talk to her that much, only during missions and a few times on the crew deck.

You stopped struggling. Your feelings had overwhelmed you so much that you were not aware that you actually started to absorb everything from your surroundings. And the strongest emotions were the ones you transferred into your behavior.

You ceased from reading the environment and sank down to your knees. The exhaustion began to overcome you. It had never happened before that you didn´t realize when you were using this reading ability. You didn´t understand how it had happened...

" _ **I am sorry...**_ ", you sighed and closed your eyes in shame. You remained in this position for a few seconds until you could think clearly again.

"(Name)-", Shepard started.

Your eyes shot open and looked at him in pain, your voice trembling:"Not now Shepard, please. Just give me a few days... I´m not in the constitution for any of this. I need some time..."

A last glance at the Commander and Javik, you stood up and left the room, single tears running down your cheeks. And this time, no one stopped you.

* * *

The days went by in the blink of an eye. Three, four, five...you had stopped counting them. You avoided the general mealtimes and only got out of your room when you absolutely had to. You felt hollow inside as you thought about every past moment you had with Mordin. From your first meeting to the final battle inside the Collector Base. You saw it all passing by right in front of you. The Crew seemed to leave you be as no one came to you after what happened on the Engineering Deck. Well, except for Garrus...

The Turian came after the, what felt like the twentieth day, and refused to leave until he could help you somehow. You didn´t want him to be near you as you didn´t want anyone to be near you at all.

"Don´t be stupid, (Name). Just look at yourself. Bet you haven´t slept well in quite a while now."

You held your hand to your forehead and ran it over your face:"Might be, but I need to come to terms with that on my own."

He came closer and put his hand on your shoulder:"Don´t lock yourself away. It will not be easier if you become broken inside."

You looked in his blue eyes, literally feeling how they send a wave of warmth to you, his mandibles twitching in a expecting way.

You sighed heavily and gave him a little smile, saying jokingly:"Alright, Vakarian. I promise to spill my guts to you."

"Now that sounds way more like the (Name) I know", he chuckled. "But I take you by the word, remember that."

"Yeah yeah, just go now. Didn´t you say you stopped some very important calibrations to come to me?"

"What? Oh, right. Nearly forgot about them. Fine, I´ll go. See you at dinner? How about 9PM"

"Mhm. See you!"

When he left the room you sat down on one of the sofas, looking out of your giant window. Garrus was right, you couldn´t just hide in here forever, wasting your time with living in the past. After all, Mordin did all this to ensure the Krogans would fully join the war, giving you a higher chance to win it.

Then your thoughts drifted off to the Commander. You wondered what he was thinking of you now? Many of the things you said and how you said them you regretted. You would go to him and set the records straight if he had the time today.

Out of nowhere, Javik came to your mind and shame rose up within you. You wanted to be mature when he was around but ended off acting like a little child. He must take you for the greatest fool in the galaxy now. You remembered his look down on Engineering and sadness spread in your chest. You had actually started to like him a bit after he offered to train with you. And how did you treat him? You made him responsible for Mordin´s death though he actually wasn´t. It annoyed you that you still didn´t apologize to him, guilt-tripping you. In the end you decided to go down and talk to him about it, even before going to Shepard.

So now you were standing in front of his door, your hand ready to slide over the hologram to open the door. However you were hesitating, not sure how he would react to you. Would he be indifferent or completely angry? Would he even listen to what you had to say?

You put these thoughts aside and forced yourself to open the door and step inside the room. Your eyes scanned the Prothean´s quarters but he wasn´t there. This surprised you as you hardly believed he was really interested in something else beside the Reapers. Should you wait for him or leave and come back later?

You considered waiting was better and walked further into the room. Several items you didn´t know, caught your interest, but you didn´t dare to touch any of them. Especially this flowing piece of metal on the desk fascinated you the most, as it reminded you of-.

Suddenly the door opened and a slightly angry Javik came in. Within a heartbeat his head shot up and a look of surprise flickered over his face. You turned away from the desk and returned his look. Both of you remained like this for what felt like an hour before you finally gathered the courage to speak:"Javik...I...came to...apologize for blaming you for Mordin´s death. I never intended to say anything that...cruel to you. It was an act of stubbornness, not paying any attention to the truth..."

He didn´t say anything in response and came closer, standing now right in front of you.

Your heartbeat increased and your face got hot as you looked into his eyes. You listened to his soft and slow breathing while he stared back. It appeared he was waiting for some kind of action. You didn´t know what he was expecting, perhaps it was...

" _ **I am very sorry, Javik... You didn´t deserve what I was doing and saying to you. It was an act of ingratitude and ignorance...I...I..."**_ ,you couldn´t continue to speak under his illegible gaze. You took a deep breath and readied yourself to leave the room as it appeared to be of no good to talk to him.

" _ **You are forgiven, Vereshan**_ ", his deep voice vibrated through the air, giving you goosebumps. " _ **You were born with this gift but no one in this cycle could teach you how to live with it. You weren´t able to know how to manage any better than that."**_

He went passed you and sat down on the small metal circle on the floor.

 _ **"Sit with me"**_ , he pointed to the place right across from him.


	10. Chapter 10

You took a deep breath and did as Javik told you. He appeared more empathetic and his eyes had again that, for him untypical, warmth.

" _ **For my people this ability was as natural as breathing, we mastered to control it during childhood. You however had no one who could teach you anything about it. Still, you managed quite well**_ ", he spoke in a deep and comforting voice, then reached out so you could see his palm and continued:" _**What happened shortly after we returned from the Krogan homeworld is completely natural. You experienced a protective mechanism caused by your body. The great sadness you felt made you vulnerable, so your instincts took over, trying to protect you from any harm. A Prothean confronted with the same situation would have known what would eventually happen and initiate countermeasures he was taught very early in his life before he would endanger anyone."**_

You tried to assimilate what he said while your thoughts brought you back to the early years of your life. What happened at the Cerberus base when you were just a child, could it have been the same thing that happened a few days ago?

" _ **By your facial expressions I assume it might have happened before, again unbeknown to you?**_ ", he tilted his head slightly to one side, interest flickering in his golden eyes as he pulled back his hand.

His question distracted you for a second before you answered him:" _ **I...do not really know what happened there. I was angry and hurt, all because of that woman. I hated her for what she had done to me and the others. I just wanted her to pay for it. She should feel the same pain we all suffered since anyone could remember a damn thing.**_ "

Javik didn´t say anything for a moment and studied you further before he spoke:" _ **Was that the memory you drew the pain from to turn me unconscious?**_ "

" _ **Yes...it was**_ ", you nearly whispered. " _ **When you called me an "abomination" I was thrown back to that moment. It was that word she used to call me as she tried to kill me. All I wanted then, was her to feel my pain and that of the ones I was with during their death. I didn´t understand how someone could be that cruel...**_ "

You sighed as pictures of the past appeared in front of your inner eye and suddenly Javik´s memory came to your mind.

" _ **You know, after I knocked us both out, I had a "dream". But I don´t think it actually was one, I rather think it was a memory you transferred. I didn´t have the courage to tell you, as I didn´t wish to anger you any further.**_ "

The Prothean closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again:" _ **Hm, I know. What you may not know is the fact that I received one as well. It included you and the Mordin-Salarian, talking about your DNA."**_

You looked at him in shock, unable to say anything until you found your voice again: _ **"So you are aware of the doubts I had about myself..."**_

 _ **"Yes."**_

 _ **"Well, the reason for that test were my abilities as well as my biotics. I didn´t grew up as most children, as you might have guessed right now. The first memory I know is me being used as a guinea pig by Cerberus. At that time I was about the age of six or seven...or even younger, I don´t really know anymore. But what I know is that they tortured me for years, testing things on me I don´t even want to remember. The worst of all is that they kept saying, especially that cursed woman, that I wasn´t even born the normal way. Instead they referred to me to me as 'being created in a test-tube'... That I had no one who would ever miss me... That I was a...creature...not even really...human, living...at their...mercy."**_

You turned your head away from him, not wanting him to see your tears falling down to the floor and tried to suppress the sobbing.

Silence filled the room, only interrupted by your silent crying. You didn´t expect Javik to understand what you had gone through. Perhaps he thought you were weak because you showed such emotions. But what did it matter now? All you had gone through made you feel left alone by everyone.

 _ **"I am sorry to hear what you experienced during your early years of life. The first thing I remember is my homeworld burning. But unlike you I had the chance to fight the ones that caused that."**_

The sudden feeling of two fingers touching one of your wrists brought you back to reality.

You looked him in the eyes, care flickering in them.

 _ **"In your memory the Salarian told you that your DNA was completely normal. Still you are affected by the words of these humans. That implies you no longer believe in what the Salarian told you."**_

 _ **"How could I after I met you? No human in history shares my abilities, but you do. What does that tell me? That Cerberus was right all the time..."**_ , your voice was trembling as you whipped your tears away with your free hand.

 _ **"No."**_

 _ **"And what mak-?"**_

 _ **"In your memory the Salarian showed signs of lying. He wasn´t telling you the truth about what he found out, in order to protect you. And after our minds were connected I was able to read your biology. It is not fully human, that is true. But neither was it created by some scientist, like it was with that woman from this Cerberus that lived on this ship. What makes you special and gave you these gifts is that you share Prothean DNA."**_

You met him with disbelief after he finished speaking. There were no signs that he was trying to fool you or something. It would also explain his friendly behavior.

You thought for a moment about it before you answered to his strange theory: _ **"Then you are saying that I am naturally part Prothean for some reason?"**_

He blinked while watching your reaction before he responded: _ **"There is no evidence that says otherwise. See it as a great honor from the cosmos that you are Prothean. Many wished to gain what we had but none succeeded."**_

A rarely seen smile played around his lips, though he looked rather sad than pleased.

Being aware that a part of his people was sitting right in front of him and again not, was cruel irony of fate. Of course he would have rather wanted one of his kind sitting in your place, but there was no point in mourning what was lost. Maybe it was fate all along that brought you both here.

 _ **"Maybe, maybe not"**_ , Javik said in his typical cold voice, bringing you back to the here and now.

 _ **"What the hell!? How could you!?"**_ , you asked bewildered.

He gave you a smug grin, tipping with one of his fingers on your wrist.

 _ **"Dirty bastard!"**_ , you drew your hand away from his, giving him an evil frown.

He let out a deep laugh as he looked at you, a mischievous expression clearly visible on his face: _ **"I am a Prothean, don´t forget that."**_

Your cheeks turned red and you felt like what one would call a 'little school girl'. Of course your embarrassment amused Javik even more as you could tell by his looks.

You crossed your arms: _ **"Alright, alright. You had your fun. Is the almighty Prothean also willing to show me how to fully control it?"**_

His normal expression returned and he became serious: _ **"Yes."**_

You concentrated on every word as he told you of how the reading-ability worked. He began with the basics of biology, that every memory and experience was found in the DNA. Therefore it didn´t matter if the organism was alive or not, everything that was required was sound DNA. But being able to actually 'read' things was because of the unique nervous system Protheans had. It was able to connect with that of the organism, or just organic material, and transfer information to the Reader. 'Scanning' the DNA was a side effect that could offer valuable clues. He explained to you that being hunters, Protheans had to know their environment. Special about it was that one did not need to actually touch something. Being close enough sufficed to do the job.

 _ **"Everything is an open book. You just need to read what is written in it to have an advantage over your opponent"**_ , he ended his talk.

Yu nodded, raising an eyebrow: _ **"Makes sense. Especially when used in combat, right?"**_

Before Javik could react, your Omni-tool light up. Someone was calling you.

Pushing a button you answered and a video-call started, showing Garrus.

 _ **"Yes?"**_

"Uhm, (Name)?"

" _ **What is it, Garrus?"**_

Javik cleared his throat to attract your attention, then pointed with one of his fingers to his mouth.

It took a second before you understood what he meant and switched back to English.

"Ehm, sorry!", you gave him a apologetic smile, "Anyway why did you call me?"

He facepalmed while sighing:"We agreed on having dinner together, you remember? 9.00PM? Well its 9.40PM now and I'm still waiting for you to arrive."

"Crap! I'm on my way!"

"You better be! I'm starving", he said with a Turian smile on his face before you ended the call.

You rose from the floor, shaking your head:"I am such a idiot. I should have remembered that!"

Javik stood up, too. For the blink of an eye you believed to see disappointment in his face, but as you studied it closer, it was gone. You shrugged it off and would have been about to leave the room if your eyes hadn´t started to rest on his figure. He didn´t wait for a 'goodbye' or something like that, he went immediately to one of his water basins, leaning against it.

"Javik", you started, his head turning to you so that he was able to see you with two of his eyes. "Do you wish to join me?"

"I do not think the agreement involved my company."

"We agreed on it because I had to get out of my room. There is no problem if you eat with us."

" You may go. I would prefer to be alone right now", his icy voice gave you a shiver.

You tilted your head to one side, rising an eyebrow at his strange behavior. First you talked nearly two and a half hours and now he was dismissive out of nowhere. What the fuck was going on with him?

You decided to say nothing more and leave him be. Starting a discussion would only lead to a conflict which you didn´t want to risk, considering how positive your interactions had become.

* * *

"And then I left", you shoved the rest of your food into your mouth. "Strange, huh?"

You sat at the table with Garrus, both eating your meal. You had told him about what happened in Javik´s quarters, even the part with being part Prothean, though you made him promise first, not to tell anyone.

The Turian twitched his mandibles:"If you ask me, he might have been too long in this stasis pod of his. See? This is what happens if you stay too long in one room. You get a little bit crazy and one day you believe the entire galaxy has to bow before you."

"Oh come on, Vakarian! He is just a bit out of his time. How would you react if you were in his position and there were no calibrations required anymore?"

He leaned back in his chair, giving you an intense look:"Well, I think there are always things that need to be calibrated, not just weapons."

You crossed your arms, giving him a questioning look:"And that would be?"

"Hm, let´s take you for example. If I wouldn´t put all my effort in getting you back to your normal state, you wouldn´t be that good anymore at helping us fight the Reapers. I think that is also a kind of calibration," he began to smirk. "A very good one, I might admit."

You rolled your eyes and smiled at him:"Right, because calibrating a weapon is not much of a difference to helping someone in need. Hell, who knows what you will do to your children one day. Calibrate them as well? I can already see it", you cleared your throat and changed your voice to imitate Garrus. "And now say 'Calibration'".

You burst out into laughter, holding your belly while you lean back in your chair.

"Haha, very funny (Name). And you? Prothean DNA?", now he tried to imitate you. "Bow before your new Empress, Vakarian."

He swung his right arm as if he would be holding a wipe, causing both of you to bubble over with laughter, doing your best to be still able breath.

"That´s not what I sound like; way to high pitched."

"Perhaps, but your tone would fit absolutely. You always want to be obeyed."

"That´s not true", you tried to reach over the table to give him a playful slap in the face, but he was to quick out of range.

He took you by your wrist and turned you around so your back lay on the table:"See what happens if you challenge Archangel?"

"You will regret what you do if you don´t let me go."

"Yeah, of course."

"I mean it!"

"As the Empress commands", he let go of you and bowed slightly.

"Alright, alright. Enough of that. I am terribly tired. Let´s go and get some sleep."

* * *

"No. Now it´s fun", the man with the two metal legs said, a smile on his face.

Suddenly Thane stood behind him, holding a gun to his head. The two started to fight one another, hitting each other with their fists to take the other down. Their combat only lasted for a few seconds until the unknown Cerberus agent flipped the Drell over his shoulder and disappeared.

It was no wonder Thane had his problems, he was fatally ill and should rather be in a hospital instead of fighting a deadly modified man.

Out of nowhere the agent appeared, a sword in his hands, rushing over to Thane.

'Nooo! He will kill him!', your inner voice screamed, demanding you to react.

As you had predicted Thane saw him too late, the sword of the attacker coming at incredible speed in his direction.

You trusted your gut and let your skills take over. Within a heartbeat you slid between them, blocking the attack and throwing the agent in one and Thane in the opposite direction. You put up your katana, ready to defend or strike, watching your enemy closely. His sword was shorter than yours, giving him a slight advantage. Nonetheless he would not lay a hand on the councilor or your crewmates. He stroke, you countered, not letting him any chance to pass you. As he tried to push you back, you kicked his leg aside, causing him to stumble and fall.

What happened next was unforeseeable. He turned in his fall, his blade running across your belly, scratching along your armor. Adrenaline ran through your veins, causing you to be able to ignore the most of the pain. While you were not capable of reacting, the Cerberus agent stood up as fast as he had fallen. He ran to a shuttle waiting for him outside, Shepard at his heels. You ran after the two, but it was too late as the assassin had already flown away. You were panting heavily, resting on your blade while holding your stomach. Why did it feel so slippery?

"(Name)!", Shepard ran up to you, deep lines darkening his face. "You´re hurt!"

"What?", you looked down to your hand, it was covered in blood. But how could that be? You only felt a little burning sensation...

You sank down to your knees, your heart racing. That was impossible! Your armor was a special crafted one, even bullets were having a hard time getting through. Javik ran down the stairs that lay behind you, giving you a quick look before he approached you. His hand hovered above your wound for a few seconds before he demanded some Medi-gel and covered it with it. You were able to receive some of his emotions: tiredness, anger, concern...

His eyes were focused on what he was doing. Only before he stood up, his eyes met yours, worry flickering in his golden orbs.

"Commander, she has been poisoned and needs medical treatment in the near future."

"How bad is it?", Shepard wanted to know.

"The poison spreads very slow. However, if left untreated she will die in a few hours."

"Alright then, I´ll contact Bailey to get her to a hospital. In the meantime we go after the assassin. If he reaches the council before we do, the Citadel is lost."

Your head shot up at those words. No! They would not have the chance to let you sit her, fear consuming you.

You took your katana and used it to get up:"I´m coming with you..."

"That is out of-"

"Damn it! I will not sit here like a duck while that poor fucking copy of my sword skills is running around! He will pay for trying to kill me."

"But-"

"No buts, Shepard, please! Just come on and let us get his ass. Medi-gel has done its job, now it´s time to do ours!"

You stood straight, doing a little swirl with your sword to show your readiness. He nodded and walked to the nearest shuttle, talking to Bailey.

 _ **"Your fighting spirit could keep up with that of a Prothean. Interesting, given to the small amount of shared DNA"**_ , Javik mention as you followed the Commander.

"Well, I don´t know much about that, but right at the moment I wouldn´t be averse to see him suffocate to death after I threw him out the airlock."

* * *

You were sitting on a bed in the Huerta-Hospital. After the council was saved and Udina shot for his treason, Shepard demanded to take you immediately to a doctor.

Now you were waiting for your test results to find out what kind of poison was running through your veins . Surprisingly, Javik insisted to join you. Something was up with him, but you couldn´t tell what exactly.

A Salarian came in, holding his datapad in one hand while his other hand slid over its surface.

"Everything is alright. We prepared an antidote that will do the job. You don´t have to be afraid of any aftereffects."

He looked up and smiled at you, then walked out of the room and returned with an Asari who held a syringe in her hand. Immediately your hands clawed into the bed sheet, your heart beginning to pump like it would explode. You smiled uneasy, pointing at the syringe:"Is there no other way than that?"

The Salarian looked up from his pad:"I´m afraid not. It has to be injected directly into the bloodstream."

Sweat ran down your neck, you sighed and closed your eyes:"Very well...let us get over with that...as fast as possible."

It was unpleasant...very unpleasant, like someone tried to get a tennis ball under your skin. You disgusted syringes. You have had enough of them in your past, now Cerberus forced you to more of them indirectly.

On the way back, Shepard met his former crewmate Kaidan Alenko right in front of the Normandy. He was asking to join the crew again, before he would decide to accept the offer of Hackett to serve on a different ship. The Commander agreed on him joining you, leaving only the question where he would stay. There was not much space left and the crew quarters were full. Out of a sudden, Javik took one step forward:"If you allow me the remark, Commander. (Name) is still envenomed. She should be looked after for the next few days. I would offer to share my quarters with her until you find a acceptable solution."

The Prothean turned to you, waiting for an answer. Again you could have sworn to see that worry in his eyes. What was wrong with him?

"What do you think of that, (Name)? Would you do that for Major Alenko?", Shepard asked you. By his facial expressions you could tell that he was more that interested how you would react to Javik´s offer.

"I...I don´t know...", you looked from him to the Major. He gave you a little smile, a warmth radiating from his being despite of the fact he had to shoot Udina earlier that day. You returned the smile and turned to Javik:"Are you sure you want this?"

"If I wasn´t, if wouldn´t have suggested it", his voice was calm and friendly. "My quarters will offer you to have some peace and quiet until you have fully recovered."

The thought of it...was somehow extremely tempting. It would give you the chance to learn more about him and the Protheans themselves.

"Fine, as long as you do not snore."

* * *

 **A/N: Finally published! =) As my final exams are this January, I won´t be able to update this story till the end of Februrary. Let me know if you like it so far ;) Until the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks to all of you who wished me luck for my exams :) Writing this chapter proved a bit difficult as my creativity suffered under the stress I had. However I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless ^^**

* * *

"So, where do you sleep?"

"I don´t sleep."

"Yeah, of course. Now tell me where you sleep, I don´t want to steal your sleeping berth."

Javik pointed to a spot left to the metal circle that was seen in the floor, before walking to his usual place at the water basin. You nodded, even if he did not see it, and started to look for an acceptable place that wouldn´t be close to him. However the only free place you saw was right across from his sleeping berth. You walked up to the spot, hesitating to put your belongings down.

"Do you mind if I sleep here?"

"No."

You frowned in puzzlement at the behavior of the Prothean. First he was nice and then turned cold, then he was nice again and now he was keeping his distance. You shook your head and started to arrange your 'bed', which consisted of a small pillow and a blanket. Back on the Crew deck you slept on the sofa, but to you the floor was alright now. After placing the pillow you lay down and wrapped the blanked around your body, staring at the ceiling. It appeared strange to you that Javik was only a few meters away. Your eyes slid over to him, watching as his hand ran through the water. It made you miserable to see him standing there. Even if he had a new crew and all, he would always feel alone. He was the last of his kind, of his cycle, of what was left after a murderous and horrible war.

You turned your gaze back to the ceiling before closing your eyes. It was close to midnight and the fighting, as well as your wound, exhausted you. Your gloved fingers trailed over the part of the armor that was hit by the assassin´s blade, feeling the roughness of the cut in the smooth material. It was a mystery how he could cut through it like a knife through butter, making him all the more dangerous.

"You will need to make a repair."

Your eyes snapped open and you turned your head to Javik. He was still in front of the water basin, not looking at you.

You sighed, getting up on your forearms:"I know. However there are no tools, nor the required material to fill the gap. Vega and Cortez are searching for something equal, but I am afraid they won´t find anything helpful."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before the Prothean stopped washing his hands and walked over to you, taking a seat on his legs like he usually did.

Within a heartbeat your cheeks turned hot and probably matched his armor in color. His hand reached out for the blanket, coming to a stop a few inches above it.

"May I take a look at it?", his eyes stared into yours.

"Uh, y-yes."

Pulling the blanket away, he started to examine the cut.

"Would you lie down on your back completely? It would make my work more efficient ."

You did as he said while your heart was racing. You tried to calm your senses, to force your blush away and your body to obey you again. You could feel his light touch through armor as he studied the material further.

Minutes passed as you both remained in this position. You started looking at his face, his eyes, his head, his throat and his armor, your thoughts trailing off into a pleasant state of wonder. Why were his eyes glowing? Was his skin feeling warm or cold? What kind of material was his armor made of? Did he ever take his plates off and wear something more comfortable?

"I might have a solution for the cut, but to try it you have to take off your armor."

You froze in your spot for the blink of an eye:"Excuse me?"

"I will not be able to seal it while it is still attached to you", he explained in a calm voice, his throat vibrating only the slightest as he spoke.

Alright, what was causing you to hesitate? You still had some clothes on beneath your actual armor, so there was no reason to be embarrassed, right?

You pushed yourself from the floor into a sitting position:"Fine, but I will need your help with a few clasps, they tend to get jammed."

Javik simply nodded, waiting for your word whenever you needed help.

* * *

"Okay, I think that was the last one. Now I can pull it over my head. You don´t mind helping me with that as well?"

Your head was still stuck in the armor as you heard the doors open and someone walked in.

"(Name), I didn´t think you would get along with our Prothean crewmate THAT well."

If it weren´t for your armor, the person, or better said, the Commander, would now see your face in its deepest red. Fighting your way out of the cuirass as fast as possible to explain yourself, Javik already started dealing with it.

"Commander, the gab in (Name)´s armor needs to be tended to before she will be able to join you on a mission, fully functional."

With a clunk your armor fell to the floor, revealing your panting figure:"Commander! Javik is right, he was offering his help and I accepted it, n-nothing more."

Shepard looked at you with an amused expression on his face:"Of course. If I am interrupting something just say the word and I am out."

Your face turned a darker shade of red...if that was even possible.

"Calm down, (Name). I am just teasing you. Your face could easily be mistaken for one of Javik´s plates, you know that?", he laughed.

You frowned, crossing your arms:"Not funny, Shepard. Today I nearly died because of poison and all you do the same day is making fun of me in one of the worst ways possible."

"I agree with her."

The Commander and you looked at Javik in puzzlement. He really took your sight?

"(Name) still has some poison in her blood and her body needs every energy it has to fight the rest, without regard to the antidote. Jests are not what is best for her right now."

Shepard blinked, a hint of guilt washing over his face:"I didn´t see it that way. I am sorry, (Name). I came to check on you not to worsen your situation."

Breathing out, you smiled at him:"It´s alright, just don´t try it anytime soon...or that topic."

He nodded:"I will. By the way, I just wanted to inform you that we are heading for the Perseus Nebula to meet with the Quarians. They are willing to help us with the Crucible...if we help them against the Geth."

You tilted your head to one side, standing up to walk up to Shepard:"Don´t tell me they started a war to take back their homeworld."

"It appears so."

"That is the absolute worst moment they could have chosen! Don´t they know that the Reapers are knocking at our door!?", you held your forehead while shaking your head. How stupid could somebody be? First they created the Geth and after a time they tried to wipe them out with a brutality that could only lead into the chaos that followed then. You clenched your fists in anger as you wished you could punch the Admirals that were responsible for the decision to begin a war.

A hand on your shoulder brought you back to reality and you turned your head to see Javik looking at you with concern in his eyes.

'Why does he care about me so much that lately?', you asked yourself as you continued to stare into his golden orbs. There was a new depth in them that you never imagined to see as he always appeared cold and unforgiving.

Shepard cleared his throat:"I should go."

Your head spun around to him, smiling an embarrassed smile:"Hehe, yeah. See you tomorrow, Commander."

With that he left you and the Prothean alone in the room. The silence grew heavy as your eye contact with Javik moments before changed the atmosphere into something awkward. You shook your head to get rid of that feeling and turned around. Javik still stood behind you, watching your movements with a caution you could not place.

"So, would you show me how to seal the cut in my armor? I would like to know how you do it."

It took him a few seconds before he responded:"I would be more content if you would get some rest. I will see to your armor before I go to sleep myself."

You wanted to answer him back but reconsidered that it would be rude to do this after he offered to repair your armor all alone. He didn´t wait for you to say if you agreed or not and started turning around. Your hand went forward to grab his forearm, causing a surprised expression on the Prothean´s face as his eyes went from your hand to your face.

 _ **"I wanted to thank you...for repairing my armor"**_ , you didn´t mean to say it in his mother tongue, but somehow the words came out before you thought about them.

 _ **"You will need to be ready for a fight at any time. It is an implicitness that I do this"**_ , his voice was friendly and you would have guessed that he might have even smiled, though there was something he was holding back.

" _ **I will tell you more about the repair tomorrow. Now is not the time for extended conversations."**_

With that he picked up your cuirass and walked over to a table on the opposite side of the room. You watched him for a second before turning to your 'bed' and sliding under the blanket.

* * *

The world of dreams turned into a nice place for you after you escaped the Cerberus facility when you were a child. However now, it was a realm of nightmares and torture once again. You dreamt of that cursed woman that used you as a guinea pig. She experimented on you again, driving the needles under your skin or find out how much it would take to stimulate you with pain until your biotics flared up for mere seconds. You felt the burning under your skin as she injected all kinds of things. You saw the bruises from the beating of a staff member who thought you looked at him the wrong way. Your heart was racing, your clothes soaking with sweat as fear gripped you and all you wanted was that it would stop. You could hear faint distorted whispers calling your name. It was getting louder and louder as everything started to crack like a mirror that fell to the floor. The screams of all the children that died back then, echoed in your head. You felt as the air was pressed out of your lungs, your vision getting blurred.

"Stop it!", you screamed desperately.

The voices were deafening:"(NAME)!"

"LEAVE ME BE!"

"(NAME)!"

"GO AWAY!"

Suddenly everything vanished and you were surrounded by darkness. You panted of exhaustion as severe cold started to creep under your skin, making you shiver.

 _ **"YOU NEED TO WAKE UP, VERESHAN!"**_ , you could hear one perfectly clear voice now.

"Javik?"

With a gasp your eyes opened to bright light, causing you to shut them again immediately.

"We need to put her on the drip, now!", someone said.

"She needs to be fixed first! Otherwise she will rip it out!", another person said.

You opened your eyes with caution, shock overcoming you as you saw only blurred figures. Your heart was hammering in your head, less and less air filled your lungs as you could no longer breathe. You started to flail your arms, pointing at your throat to show that you were out of oxygen.

"Her air passages are constricting! Get him out of here, we need the space!"

* * *

Javik watched through the window as (Name) collapsed on the table. Her silent fight for air and her muscle cramps confirmed his fears. The venom he detected was dangerous for his kind. Far more dangerous than to those primitives who forced him to leave the room. He assumed that the small amount of Prothean genes would be dominated by her human side and she would get away only with a scar on her stomach. Well, he had hoped that at least...

After she went to sleep, he repaired the armor and then sat down next to her. First, everything appeared as it should be. After two hours of meditating he could feel how she started to sweat and throw herself from one side to the other, her body tensing. Then the trembles began and her fingernails sank in the blanket with violent force, shallow breath erupted by heavy pants.

He didn´t waste any time and picked her up to carry her into the Med Bay, trying to wake her on the way. After he lay her down on one of beds he remained by her side. A inner voice told him to stay, to wake her up...to save what remained of his people?

The venom was the reason he had accompanied her to that hospital back on the Citadel and offered a place at his quarters for her. He wanted to make sure that he would be mistaken, that nothing would happen...hoping that she was more human than Prothean.

He heard someone running up to him.

"What the hell is going on!?", the Commander said startled. "EDI said that (Name) was hovering between life and death!?"

Turning around, Javik narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying a nameless darkness with it:"She is fighting for her life. The venom from the human with metal legs is causing it. If we do not find a cure she will die..."

The Commander´s eyes widened in shock:"But she received an antidote! How can this be possible?"

"It only served for human needs. She is not fully human, Commander."

"Are you telling me that the parts of Prothean DNA are causing this?"

"The poison reacts to the alterations caused by the DNA. They resemble Prothean biology, thus the venom reacts as it would, if I was poisoned. Only the fact that she is partly human keeps her alive a little longer. It slows down the process..."

A heavy sigh escaped the Commander´s lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose:"Alright. If your people were so highly endangered by it, they must have had an antidote. Do you know anything about it?"

Javik pulled up the corner of his upper lip in anger:"If I would have had any information, I would have stated it instantly. I was hoping that the amount of DNA wasn´t having too much of an effect on her, so we would not have to concern ourselves with a solution."

A scream, baffled by the wall and glass, echoed through the deck, interrupting the starting argument.

"Damn it! Joker?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Change our route to the Pangaea Expanse. We need to take a trip to Ilos. QUICK!"

"Aye aye, Commander."


	12. Chapter 12

"Alright, our first step will be finding Vigil and trying to get him back online so he can help us. If anybody knows what Ilos has in store, it has to be him", the Commander said dead serious.

Javik looked from him to the Edi machine that was accompanying them. He didn´t trust it, he never would, but he couldn´t deny that if the VI of his people was no longer accessible, the machine would be able to go through the remaining data with ease. (Name) was in a 'stable' state for the moment. She had fallen into a coma before they had left the ship and was under permanent medical observation as she was getting analgesics and something to try stop the venom from causing any further damage.

The voice of the Commander brought him back to reality:"And you really have no idea what we should look for?"

Javik bristled with anger as his eyes narrowed:"No."

A slight shaking from the shuttle as it landed, interrupted the conversation. The Commander drew his weapon and jumped out of the shuttle as soon as its door opened.

"Then let´s hope this place holds the key to a solution...", was all he said before he moved into the ruins.

Javik growled in a deep, nearly inaudible pitch as he followed the human into one of his people´s lost worlds. Only because he was Prothean it didn´t mean he knew the answers to every question in the galaxy. Why didn´t these primitives understand this simple truth?

It came to his mind that (Name) never asked him any of these questions, she accepted him as a soldier not a miracle that came to save this cycle from the Reapers. He might even say that she understood him in a way no one else did and perhaps could. As much as he didn´t care about it, it felt somehow comforting.

While they moved through the ruins, he took in the view. The buildings were long reclaimed by countless plants; their appearance changed forever and never being able to be returned to their former glory. It was a depressing sight to behold, seeing how the greatness of the Protheans crumpled to dust only because of the Reapers. It reassured him that he was indeed the avatar of vengeance, vowing to see them fall before his feet at the end of this war.

"That doesn´t make any sense at all. How could Cerberus know that this exact poison would kill anyone with Prothean DNA. Something like that is impossible."

"Given the amount of interest Cerberus always had had in (Name), it is highly unlikely they will give up on her that easily. According to files considering her DNA and abilities, she was seen as a new way to ensure human dominance. Therefore Cerberus tried to extract these certain sequences and make them accessible for every human", the Edi-machine responded.

"But why poisoning her then? If she dies she won´t be of any use for them any longer."

Javik bristled with anger, gritting his teeth:"It is obvious."

The human and the machine gave him a look to explain his thought. How primitive of them that they haven´t considered this possibility yet. This cycle was far too strange to comprehend; far too naive to consider such a 'cunning action', as they would call it.

"This Cerberus. It chose a venom we have no antidote for. They will offer only one solution; using it as a bargain chip to achieve their aim in retrieving (Name)."

" **It seems your friend finally solved the mystery surrounding your beloved crewmate. Congratulations**!"

Everyone raised their weapons at the sudden appearance of the female voice, ready to shoot on sight.

" **Now please, not so hostile, dear Commander. If you want to save (Name), I would rather listen than fight. Otherwise someone is going to die a horrible death, and I think neither of us two wants that to happen.** "

The Commander held his weapon in place, scanning the area:"Well, you seem to know me. How about you tell me who you are?"

A long strange, almost insane, laugh was audible before the voice spoke again **:"Me? Oh, I am nobody important. Just someone who wants back what she lost all those years ago. After all, it was my idea to poison my dear subject, so it could reunite with me. Well, the Illusive Man is generous when it comes to secure humanity´s dominance in the galaxy. But I don´t need to tell the subject of the Lazarus project what it already knows.** "

"We won´t hand (Name) over to you! She doesn´t belong to you and never did it. We will get that antidote without betraying her trust and selling her to you. Consider this the end of our conversation", the Commander said visibly annoyed and moved forward into what looked like a bunker.

Javik and the machine followed close behind him. The further they walked inside the more was revealed of the ancient building and its purpose before the power ran short. Stasis pods were seen, spread across the walls...no hope that they still carried something inside them that was alive. After a while they turned into a small corridor on the right and took an elevator to a lower level. The door opened and they walked out, following the small footbridge to the end of the room.

The Commander holstered his weapon:"Vigil was right here. Edi, get to work and see what you can make of it."

"Yes, Shepard."

The machine approached the VI interface, doing as it was told. Javik turned his gaze to the opposite direction, losing himself in his thoughts. What would have been if his mission on Eden Prime had succeeded? Well, he wouldn´t have to deal with such tasks like fighting for an antidote in the middle of the most important war of the galaxy. He would have forged an empire that could withstand the Reapers and destroy them, leading the inferior species to a new golden age. Not wandering the dead cities of his extinct people at the brink of chaos.

And (Name)?

Perhaps she would never have existed like this. She would likely be a normal human, their paths separated by fifty thousand years. This thought made his heart feel a tiny sting. What was it that finally made him care about her, calling her by her actual name to show that she was seen worthy in his eyes. Did the alterations in her DNA really have that much of an effect on him? He had to admit that there was something about her he couldn´t quite place. She looked like a primitive but she behaved like a Prothean, acted like one, thought like one. Could biology reveal such traits in a being?

The voice of the machine made him turn his head:"I have access to the bunker´s security systems. It appears that several hostiles barricaded themselves further into the facility."

"That was clear the moment we heard that woman. What else can you tell us?", the Commander wanted to know.

"To reactivate Vigil we will need to use the power sources that were brought, and connect them to the one´s that energize the VI."

"Good. A second option for us if that woman´s antidote might not work."

* * *

"How is she doing, Doc?"

"For the moment she is as fine as she can be, Garrus. But I´m afraid that if Shepard doesn´t find anything on Ilos, she will have to face the worst..."

"And how much time does she have left?"

"As long as I have immune serum. However the effect grows weaker with every injection."

* * *

"Alright, let´s go. We can´t effort to lose any time", the Commander moved to the elevator, his hand gliding over the consol to open its doors. Nothing happened. He frowned and repeated his action. Again nothing moved.

Suddenly the doors slid open, revealing a large mech that fired immediately at them. Everybody jumped out of its range, down the footbridge and hid underneath it to avoid its rockets.

"I am sick of dangers in elevators", Javik growled while leaning out from under his shelter to aim for the pilot´s cabin. First the homeworld of the lizard people and now one of his people´s former worlds. This was becoming foreseeable as well as tiresome...

"Not only you. Take it out!", the Commander yelled with anger in his voice.

This fight was taxing Javik´s patience as they were wasting precious time. He scanned his area for something of use, before his gaze finally rested on a part of the roof that had fallen down. Within mere seconds he lifted it with his biotics and aimed with the pointy end for the pilot. With a single gesture he sent it flying. A huge crash, metal met glass, and the mech was sent against the wall behind it while the human inside was pierced, blood running down its body.

 **"I see you could handle the mech with ease. Well, sadly this little game must come to an end. My forces will capture you sooner or later. And then we can finally talk about lovely (Name), or however my subject calls itself."**

"I´m beginning to ask myself who she really is. It almost sounds like she knows (Name) for a very long time", the Commander climbed up the footbridge and headed for the elevator. The machine followed him, but Javik stopped, looking back at the pilot with narrowed eyes. He walked back to the dead enemy and searched for a trail of blood.

"Javik, what are you doing?", he heard the Commander´s voice from up the footbridge. He didn´t respond to him. He wanted to know what kind of primitive they were facing. This whole obsession with (Name) made him suspicious, so perhaps he would find something in the memories of this dead human.

"Javik?"

"There it is", he nearly whispered, finally having discovered a clean trail of blood that wasn´t too difficult to reach. He detested it to touch something without being able to wash his hands afterwards, especially when it was any kind of liquid. But he had to put the needs of the mission before his own. After all, it would increase the chances to save her...

* * *

 _"So, I will be doing what exactly?"_

 _"You will take the Atlas and face the enemies. But don´t kill them! The Prof will rip your head off if you do that."_

 _"Yeah, I know it. That bitch is crazy as hell. All this time and effort for what? Some stupid girl that slipped her grasp? I tell you, the Illusive Man should fire her. Can´t use people who constantly kill others for every little mistake."_

 _"You do not need to say that, I saw her shooting a guy in the belly before giving him a shot in the head. That´s not only killing, but torture. Only because she is one of the best, doesn´t mean she is allowed to do anything she wants."_

 _"True. I better be going now. Don´t want to meet her and end up being the next on her list to bite the dust."_

* * *

Javik was gritting his teeth in enragement as he saw how little the memories of this human had told him about this female human- this Prof- as they called it. If he would get his hands on her he would snap her neck with pleasure. All this trouble with (Name) because of her. The Reapers were waiting for him out there and he was here, playing hide and seek with this primitive.

* * *

The cameras she installed showed the Prothean how he stood in front of the cannon fodder she sent to get them. His hand had reached out to touch something and as he pulled away, his body language told her that he was losing his temper. Oh, this was becoming more marvelous with every second! Not only had her lost subject these abilities, but now she could be death certain that this alien had them as well. Now she had the possibility to take him as a subject, too! She would be able to compare the sequences, decipher the alterations that made it possible for a human to use such great gifts of nature and in the end improve humanity with them.

"Ma'am?"

She turned around to look at the man who had addressed her:"What is it?"

He shifted a bit, uneasy in the way how her eyes bored into his body, letting a grin appear on her face.

"The intruders are heading for our camp right now. What are your orders?"

She put her hands behind her back and walked across the room to a table. One of her hands touched a pistol that lay in front of her.

"Give your men the order to capture the Commander and his squad mates at any cost."

"But that would mean a lot of my men lose their lives. Wouldn´t it be easier if we just kill them?"

She took the pistol in her hand, regarding at first one and then the other side of it. He couldn´t see what she was doing, she was blocking his view.

"Give them the order. We have enough of them to spare."

Silence followed her voice, before he finally gave the order via the comm-channel.

"Is there anything else you need me to do?", he asked, a hint of fear lingering in his voice.

She turned her head slightly towards him, as if she was persuading him to repeat himself. He wouldn´t move, no, he wouldn´t.

Within a heartbeat she turned around and shot his leg, the pistol still aimed at him after he fell to the floor, groaning with pain.

She walked up to him:"You proved unsuitable for your position."

Pulling the trigger, a bullet found its way in his upper arm; another scream was heard.

"I already told you what you had to do and still you do not obey me. Asking questions where yet you are not allowed to question me."

A third bullet entered his body, right under his ribcage.

"Ahhhhh!...you...are insane...all...for what?...Because you want...revenge?...You...deserved...that she...tried killed you!"

Her pupils went small and her face blank, then her eyes started to sparkle with joy:"Sadly, you won´t have as much luck as I had. Now you asked what I need you to do", she aimed for his head:"Die."

* * *

 **A/N: I am sorry for the long waiting! I had to handle quite a few things in the past two months, but the fact that many of you like this story so much, motivates me to keep writing =) Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think, reviews are always welcome ^^**


	13. Chapter 13

Anger. Pure rage. He was called the Avatar of vengeance for a reason. And now the Primitives who stood in his way would have to pay the prize for wasting his time.

"LOOK OUT!", the Commander shouted from behind. Primitive. Without seeing his enemy he threw him in the air with his biotics. He felt his surroundings...all the time. With brutal force his opponent was pulled to the ground again; his body releasing the sound of a split skull through the helmet. He was furious, adrenaline rushing through him and gifting him with the strength to crush everything he wanted. He was Prothean, not some primitive of this cycle. They should bow before him, begging for their lives as he took them like he was taking his breath.

The EDI-machine was taking cover behind a column, shooting at the reinforcements that were arriving through a small hallway. Javik gritted his teeth in annoyance at the seemingly never-ending flood of foes, building a small barrier around him. He had enough, for there were far more important matters to attend to than this. The soldiers started shooting at him, with no effect or any damage done, as he walked towards them. The panic that started to radiate from them only drove him on to bring them their deserved fate.

"For fuck´s sake! Bring him down!", the leader of the group shouted to his men, throwing a grenade at him.

With an explosion, everything was wrapped in smoke, blocking a clear view to one´s surroundings and causing everyone to stop firing for a brief moment. Within a heartbeat a green light emitted from the middle of the cloud. Suddenly it was everywhere; the subsiding smoke giving away the picture. All men were lifted from the ground with a gesture of the Prothean raising his arms and slowly pulling them towards him as he drew his arms to his body. With a biotic breakout he sent them flying in every possible direction with top speed.

Javik rose from his position to a normal stand, pulling up his upper lip in disgust. They were no match for him, they would never be.

"Good job! Let´s see if we can get this place up and running again", the Commander spoke with a hint of irritation, before leading them into a corridor that brought them to the room with the power sources. It appeared to him that the Commander wasn´t the only one beginning to hate this primitive game...

It was a rather small room, looking almost like some kind of storage rather than a power center. Even here, with only dim light, the plants covered every wall as well as floor and ceiling. Several tables were standing in front of the right wall, all kind of artifacts lying on top of them. On the other side of the room were a few containers in one corner. But right at the other end of the room was what they were searching for.

"There have to be some wires to connect the power sources with the one´s from Vigil", the Commander spoke as he walked around, searching the ground and scanning the nearby containers.

Javik felt that the he was tensed to the edge, desperate to find the cure for (Name) so she would survive. As indifferent as this situation should be to him, he couldn´t deny that a part of him cared for the human that showed traits of his people. There were times he didn´t feel that alone anymore when she was around.

Out of nowhere one of the containers was sent flying against the wall by the foot of the Commander:"They have to be somewhere!"

"Shepard!", Edi drew his attention as she pointed to the wall behind him.

Javik looked to where it was pointing, frowning. There was a hologram of a human female, by far older than (Name). Its hands were behind its back and it watched them with a confident expression.

"Looking for something, Commander?", the female´s voice dripped with sarcasm. It was the same voice they had talked to before.

"You!", the Commander approached it, gritting his teeth as he looked at the primitive.

"Did you really think I would make things that easy for you? You are free to search this whole planet for the wires you assume to find here, though I believe that it will cost a friend of us dearly."

The human chuckled, clearly enjoying the reaction it got from the Commander:"Admit that you are not able to save my dear subject and hand it over. It belonged to me before those damn Batarians stole it away from me and planted those foolish thoughts of freedom in its head."

Javik watched the female closely as it spoke. The primitve was indeed old, but its face looked somewhat unbalanced. He disregarded it, as it seemed not significant to be able to kill the human.

"She is not your property, nor will she ever be. You have no right-"

"I have **EVERY** right to do with it as I please! I am the very reason it is alive, that it is the subject it is today. So you should thank me instead of condemning me!", rising anger started to shake the female´s voice as its eyes turned to slits.

"I don´t know what you´re talking about and I don´t care. I´ll stop you."

"Really? Is that your usual line for any villain you try to stop. Hm, I think we´ll get to that soon enough. Find me, Commander. Then you shall know the whole truth about your precious (Name)."

With those last words, the connection was cut and the human vanished.

* * *

Heavy breathing interrupted the silence that filled the Med Bay. Garrus and Dr. Chakwas hadn´t left (Name) since Shepard went to Ilos. Her vital functions were going down further and further as time passed and hope slowly crumbled in the closing sight of death.

"Still can´t believe to see her like this. She always was so energetic and passionate to fulfill her duties as a member of the crew. To see her like this...I don´t know", Garrus said, not really directing his words to anyone.

"Don´t worry so much about her, Garrus. Shepard will find the antidote she needs and in no time she will roam the Normandy as she did before. A person with such willpower isn´t brought down that easily."

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, the Turian answered:"I don´t know, Doc. The death of Mordin hit her the hardest of us all. You know that he was like a father for her. A father she never expected to have again, after what had happened to her first one."

Her gaze wandered to (Name)´s struggling form, taking in every twitch of her aching muscles and the sweat that was clearly visible on her temple: "I have never seen someone suffer so much without being negatively affected or broken. (Name) might surprise you."

He didn´t reply immediately and walked up beside the bed, looking down at her as he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze:"I hope you´re right."

"She will return to you, don´t drive yourself crazy."

His mandibles twitched in a small smile:"No, Dr. Chakwas. Not to me. To him."

She tilted her head with a frown and was about to ask who he meant when the doors slit open.

"No news from Shepard until now", a male voice spoke. Their heads turned to the newcomer, inspecting him.

"How is she doing?", he asked, his eyes examining her with sorrow.

"She is fighting, Kaidan...as she always did", Garrus almost whispered.

* * *

It was hot. The air was thick and almost impossible to inhale. Darkness prevented to see anything but black. A weight heavier than anything ever experienced on the chest, made breathing even more difficult. A deadly silence filled the black nothing. Death was inevitable, it was only a matter of time. Fire replaced the blood in the body. No escape from without and within. Everything would turn to ashes sooner or later.

* * *

"Edi, open that door! Now!"

"Yes, Shepard!"

Javik watched from a slight distance as the machine worked on the door in front of them to open it. After they had spoken to the hologram of that primitive, they had to fight their way through a small army of this Cerberus organization. Now, finally, they were at their destination to end this mockery. Behind the door was the primitive traitor of its own kind, hiding. And behind this door it would meet its fitting end. Had it been for someone less worth than (Name), then he would have voiced his mind to the rest of the crew that it would be unnecessary to waste time to save one of the many lives that would perish in this war. Of course they would call him cruel and cold, but he was only telling the truth. There was only one thing that really mattered and it was the war against the Reapers. However, why was he here then? Had he committed actions that disagreed with his own line of thought? He had reconsidered his opinion on (Name) after some time now. She was above the average primitives of this cycle. Almost reached to his own people, considering her value.

' _No_ ', he came to the solution. ' _She is worthy of her life being saved. The being unworthy of my time right now is behind those walls._ '

Just in time the massive door opened and made way for them, so they could walk inside. The room was divided in a lower and a upper level, connected through two stairs, one on the left and one on the right side of the room. On the edge of the upper level, that resembled a small balcony, stood the female from earlier. Her eyes didn´t meet with his, but were directed at the Commander.

"Finally, my lovely Commander. I was beginning to worry you might have gotten lost", the primitive smiled, its eyes sparkling with something Javik couldn´t quite decipher yet.

Aiming his weapon at it, the Commander responded:"Don´t worry, I made a path with the dead corpses of your soldiers. I won´t get lost on my way out, thanks to you."

It waved its hand to the side:"They were disposable. I will get what I came for, now that you are here."

"Yeah? I don´t think so. This game is over. Surrender and hand the antidote over to me or die."

A laugh escaped its throat, the same insane laugh they had heard before, then its hand reached inside a pocket to reveal a syringe to them:"Fascinating, how something so small can change matters of a bigger meaning. But I needn´t tell that the great Commander Shepard. You know, we share many traits, you and I."

"Don´t make me laugh. I am nothing like you."

"Oh, do you really think that? Then let me enlighten you and look into my face."

The Commander frowned in confusion as the female stepped forward, so the light met its face perfectly.

The unnatural look of it that Javik had discovered before, revealed itself to be many scars that gave it a look that almost resembled a puppet.

A more than surprised expression spread over the Commander´s face as he looked at the human in disbelief.

"Did you really think you were the only one that was brought back from the dead? Before there was you, the Illusive Man patched me up after my subject killed me. I was the one that gave birth to the idea of bringing you back again," it shrugged with its shoulders. " You were only on a higher level of difficulty, that was all."

The Commander shook his head while his hand cut through the air in denial:"Cerberus told me enough to know I shouldn´t trust them anymore. (Name) told me she tore you apart and as far as I know you were on a jungle planet. Your body should have decayed by the time Cerberus found it."

The female put its hands behind its back while snorting snidely:"Ha, are you so naive to believe the words of a scared child? True, it tore me apart, but not completely. My belly and hips were separated on my left side and I took a few pieces of glass in the face, that´s all. And I guess my subject also left out the part where the incoming shuttles drove her away from my dying form."

The grin on the human´s face was conspicuous. Then it reached with one of its hands to the nearby table and grabbed something.

"You still do not believe me, Commander? Here, look for yourself", it threw a datapad down into the Commander´s hands. " My subject brought death upon me, that is true. The blood loss was too much for my body that day...but she didn´t know I would come back from the dead."

Putting his weapon back on his back, he skipped through the datapad, remaining silent, his fingers pressing hard against the glass.

"Don´t you think I deserve a reward for being your previous version?", it smiled as its eyes sparkled with pure insane joy and leaned itself against the railing in front of it; toying with the syringe. "You have so many problems to solve and a war to win. What´s one little girl less in this galaxy to you? It was mine from its first breath and will so until I decide it is ready to die."

Javik´s eyes wandered from the Commander to the primitive in front of them, his expression giving not a single thought away. What was the Commander waiting for? They were running through one of his species´ dead cities for far too long in his opinion. Only the one´s with a death wish should stay here.

"So, do we have a deal?", one of its eyebrows rose as its gaze searched his face for an answer. "I can even-"

Within a second the Commander threw the datapad aside and pulled his weapon from his back, shooting the human in the shoulder. Screaming in pain and at this sudden action, the syringe slipped out of its hand.

"Javik!", was all the Commander shouted, but he already knew what was expected of him. With his hand shooting forward, biotics surrounded the syringe right before it was about to crack on the floor. The female was out of sight but the rage in her voice was almost sensible as she yelled at the top of her lungs:" **YOU WILL REGRET YOUR DECISION REJECTING ME! NOW DIE YOU PATHETIC IDIOTS!** "

A loud explosion was heard and suddenly hell broke loose as large pieces of the ceiling were raining down upon them.

" **IF I CANNNOT HAVE MY SUBJECT THEN NO ONE EVER WILL!** "

The Commander looked to the EDI-machine after avoiding a larger unit of metal and stone:"Take the antidote from Javik and bring it to the shuttle. Javik and I take care of her."

The Prothean quickly handed the syringe to the machine before following the Commander up the stairs. As Javik reached the upper level he saw the Commander walking towards the injured primitive who was holding its bleeding shoulder with one hand while trying to aim with a pistol that was in the other. He shot its leg, causing it to fall on the floor with another scream.

* * *

" **YOU WILL NOT HAVE IT! IT IS MINE!** ", she screamed as the Commander walked up to her.

 _Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, MIIIIIIIIIINE!_

" **YOU WILL DIE AS IT WILL, BECAUSE YOU DISOBEYED ME!** "

 _Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, DIIIIIIIIIIE!_

She pulled another detonator from her pocket and opened it so the red button was visible. Looking at the ceiling she smiled, remembering all the explosive she ordered to be put into this part.

Her thumb weakly pressed the button as the _famous_ Commander Shepard arrived right in front of her.

The explosion unhinged him, but suddenly there was a green barrier that shielded them from the parts of the building that were coming down. Her eyes searched frantically for the source of the biotics, first expecting her subject before capturing the Prothean who held his hands slightly up as the green biotics roamed his body. She thought she would have enough time to examine him and sadly didn´t pay him any attention before...what a waste of potential now she was about to die.

A shadow brought her back from her thoughts to the man standing in front of her. She smiled at him cheekily:"Commander."

The last thing she saw and heard was the stock of his rifle heading for her head and some words he uttered:"Go to hell..."

* * *

 **A/N:** I am sorry it took me that long to continue. So many things needed my attention that my creativity suffered greatly from it. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story so far! Let me know what you think. Until next time! ;)


End file.
